Pancakes in and of themselves are pretty good things. Most
people think of them as a breakfast food, but there’s no rule that says you can’t
enjoy them any time of day. As a matter of fact, I’m a big proponent of “breakfast
for dinner,” especially in these cold winter months. While a stack of good old fashioned
pancakes served up with lots of butter and syrup would certainly be a welcome
sight on the dinner table, here is a variation that injects some savory
ingredients. These corn pancakes with bacon are not only great for dinner, they
are ideal to serve at brunch.
These wonderful little hotcakes combine the savory of onion,
the sweetness of corn and maple syrup and the saltiness of bacon. And besides,
how can anything with bacon be bad? They come together easily with little
preparation and cook in just a few minutes on a hot griddle or skillet. Even
though there is bacon in the batter, topping them with a little more bacon not
only makes for a nice presentation, but adds an extra salty crunch. We topped
these with warm maple syrup, but you could also add a little strawberry preserves
or maybe sour cream.
Corn Pancakes with
Bacon
8 slices of bacon, cut crosswise into strips
¼ onion, finely diced
1 cup flour
2 TBSP chopped scallions (green onions) – green part only
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2/3 cup whole milk
1 egg, beaten
1 TBSP oil
1 cup corn (either thawed frozen corn or canned is fine)
½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Maple syrup – warmed
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon until
brown and crisp. As bacon is starting to crisp, add diced onion and allow onion
to brown in bacon fat. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon and onions from pan
and transfer on to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess grease.
In a large bowl, combine flour, scallions, baking powder,
salt and cayenne pepper. Stir in milk, egg and oil until moistened. Reserve a
couple spoonfuls of bacon/onion mixture and add the rest to the batter along
with the corn and cheese. Batter will be thick – you can add more milk if you
like a thinner batter and pancake, but not more than a couple tablespoons.
Heat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. When
griddle is hot, spoon batter on in about the size of a coaster. Pancakes will
brown in just a couple of minutes, so keep an eye on them. When golden brown on
bottom, flip and cook other side until golden.
Transfer to plate,
top with reserved bacon/onion mixture and warm maple syrup. Serve immediately
and enjoy!
