Peachy Pancakes

My favorite time of year is here with its abundance of fruits and vegetables. I've come to really appreciate a juicy, naturally ripened peach since supermarket suppliers refrigerate green peaches and they rarely ripen properly, instead turning mealy and dry. Here is one method to capitalize on the short, but luscious peach season.

This is a whole slice (off one side of the pit) rather than the called for half slices.

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Peachy Pancakes

Adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman
Makes 8-10 pancakes

1 large egg
1 c sour cream
1/4 teas vanilla
2 T sugar
1/4 teas salt
1/4 teas cinnamon
pinch of ground nutmeg
3/4 c flour (can be all white, or substitute part with whole-wheat, oat, or rye flour)
1 teas baking powder
1/2 teas baking soda
Butter for the pan
1 peach, halved, pitted, and very thinly sliced (about 1/8 inch slices)

Begin to heat your skillet or griddle on medium-low. If you wish to serve all pancakes at once, heat your oven to 250F to keep the first pancakes warm while you cook the others. Whisk the egg, sour cream, vanilla, and sugar in a large bowl. In another bowl, blend together the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Fold dry ingredients into well, mixing until just combined and still a bit lumpy.

Note: This makes a relatively thick batter and a thick pancake. I like mine thinner, so I added a third cup of milk to the yogurt. This increases the yield somewhat.

Melt a pat of butter in a skillet or on the griddle. Ladle 1/4 c batter, leaving 2 inches between each pancake. Arrange two sliced peach halves on each pancake (don't worry if they are larger than the pancake which will spread). After about 4 minutes, watch for edges that are drying and for bubbles forming in the middle of the peach slices. Carefully use a spatula to get all the way under the pancake and flip it in one quick motion. If a peach slice slips out, you can nudge it back in. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or so until the peaches are caramelized.  Be generous with butter which will help with caramelization and with flipping. If peaches brown too quickly and the pancakes aren't done, turn down the heat. Placing finished pancakes in the warm oven will ensure they cook through.

Serve with maple syrup or ginger syrup which you can purchase or make: Ginger Syrup