I can do so little for my husband and he will thank me. I can make the most thrown together, not interesting mish -mosh of a meal that I haven’t even cooked myself and at the end of that meal, he will not only thank me but HE will clean everything up. That’s what he just said after I threw together some cold chicken that was in the refrigerator. I didn’t even cook that chicken, I picked the thing up at the market yesterday….no, no, no, no, that’s a lie, HE picked it up from the market yesterday, an already fully cooked chicken. I had some side dishes that I picked up today at the Farmers Market. And I did manage to find the left over steamed broccoli and I sautéed it in olive oil, garlic and pine nuts. I told him the truth when I met him. I’m a homeBODY, not a homeMAKER. But I guess since he doesn’t cook, anything he eats is a mystery, a lovely tasting magical mystery. That’s how he acts and I totally understand it. When I woke up this morning, I had an e-mail waiting for me from my son Oliver and I rarely look at the time an e-mail comes in but I did, just curious about how late he stays up. There was one sentence that Oliver wrote. The note read “ when I’m rich I will order a croque-madame at 3:17 am from my personal chef ”.
I thought, I can totally relate, it would be MY “if only I were rich” dream. I would have a private chef.
My husband isn’t THAT gastronomically unlucky because today’s lunch menu was a whole different story. I made pancakes, but not my usual buttermilk pancakes. I love my buttermilk pancakes, the recipe is easy and it always tastes great. When I try other pancake recipes, I am often disappointed. I’m not sure why, but I thought, well today, I will try this other one because it sounded like it could be a good one. It’s not just a good one. It’s great. It’s from a hotel in San Francisco called Campton Place.
I’m just sorry Oliver doesn’t live in L.A. because he’s a big all day breakfast eater and it’s a meal he would have really enjoyed.
Campton Place pancakes recipe
For the Topping (I didn’t make this topping but it sounds amazing)
4 ounces ( Istick) unsalted butter
1 Fuji, Braeburn or Granny Smith apple, peeled, cut, cored and cut into ½ inch cubes
½ cup apple cider
For the Pancakes
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
¼ cup wheat flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ounces (half a stick) unsalted butter, melted
1. Make the Topping Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in medium non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the apple and sauté until softened and slightly caramelized, about 8 minutes. Add the cider and cook, stirring for 3 minutes, until the apples are tender and the sauce is slightly thick.
2. Remove from the heat and transfer to a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until smooth and allow to cool to room temperature.
3. Beat the remaining 6 tablespoons butter until fluffy. Add the apple mixture and stir well to combine. Set aside.
4. Make the pancakes: Sift together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla and melted butter. Whisk in the flour mixture and combine well, but do not overmix.
5. Heat a griddle until hot. Ladle the batter onto the hot griddle, about 1/3 cup per pancake. The batter should sizzle quietly when it hits the surface. Cook until bubbles break through, a couple of minutes, and turn the pancakes over. Cook for another minute, until the pancakes are nicely browned on both sides. Transfer to plates and serve hot, or if making all at once, keep warm in a low oven. Serve with the apple topping.