PotW: Cardamom Pancakes with Rhubarb Cream + Raspberries

[last Pancakes of the Week: Chocolate Pancakes with Mango and Chocolate Sauce]

The Pancakes of the Week feature is back!  I know, it's been such a long hiatus--my last pancake post was in   March! March!, can you believe it?!, but I swear that I have a very good reason.  You see, ever since I started working with rhubarb, I've been sort of obsessed over getting rhubarb into a pancake recipe.  And I've been over and over it in my mind, trying out different combinations, either in my head or actually making them, but nothing ever came out quite right.  Hence this long drought of pancake recipes, because I just couldn't let myself go on until I had conquered the rhubarb-inspired breakfast.  Until now.

Finally! At last I have achieved it: a pancake recipe with rhubarb.  One day, while thumbing through old issues of Sunset Magazine that I always "steal" (;-P) from my parents' house when I visit, I ran across a page all about raspberries.  At the bottom corner of the story were a couple of serving suggestions for raspberries, one of which involved rhubarb puree folded into cream and topped with fresh raspberries.  Aha!  That sounds perfect for a pancake topping!  And so they were born: cardamom pancakes with rhubarb cream and fresh raspberries.

The cardamom pancakes--with just a hint of orange--are a great base for the rhubarb-flavored cream.  Altogether, you get a mouthful of fresh raspberries, airy tart cream, and fluffy, spiced pancakes, ending up in what I'd finally and at last, after several months, deem a worthy rhubarb addition to my pancake library.

And don't fret--expect to see several more pancake recipes coming your way soon.  A few weeks ago, when I visited one of my best friends in Los Angeles, she insisted that I make her pancakes.  But, since she was quite indecisive about what *kind* of pancakes she wanted, I ended up making a "pancake tasting menu," with four different varieties of pancakes, ranging from fruity and sweet to cheesy and savory.  So, a big welcome back pancakes to the blog!  :-)


Read on for recipe...


Cardamom pancakes with rhubarb cream and raspberries

for rhubarb puree:
8 oz. rhubarb stalks, peeled and chopped.
1.5 oz. sugar (3 Tbspn)
1 Tbspn freshly squeezed orange juice

1. In a saucepan, combine the rhubarb, sugar, and orange juice.
2. Cook on medium high until the rhubarb softens.  Remove from heat.
3. Using a food processor or blender, puree the rhubarb until smooth.  Let cool completely in the refrigerator.  You will only need 4 oz. of rhubarb puree; the rest can be saved for other uses or used to top the pancakes as well.

for rhubarb cream:
8 oz. heavy whipping cream (1 cup)
1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
4 oz. rhubarb puree

1. Whip the heavy whipping cream until you achieve soft peaks, gradually adding in the powdered sugar towards the end of whipping.
2. Fold the cool rhubarb puree into the cream using a balloon whisk.

for raspberries:
12 oz. raspberries
zest of 1 orange
1/2 tspn cardamom
1 tspn sugar

1. In a bowl, toss gently to combine the raspberries, orange zest, cardamom, and sugar.  Let sit while you cook the pancakes.

for cardamom pancakes:
4 oz. freshly squeezed orange juice
4 oz. whole milk
2 eggs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 tspn vanilla extract
8 oz. AP flour
2 Tbspn sugar
2 tspn baking powder
2 tspn ground cardamom
1 tspn salt

1. Combine the orange juice, milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract and whisk thoroughly.
2. Add the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
3. Oil lightly a medium hot skillet and cook the pancakes.
4. Top freshly cooked pancakes with rhubarb cream, extra rhubarb puree, if desired, and prepared raspberries.



Enjoy!