PEAR + BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES

I am gone for one blog post and Hugh goes and raises the bar. Videos and romantic coffee bean pictures... I can't top that, but these pancakes are just lovely.

This past week, we spent some time in Mammoth with some good friends. We don't get to the snow often, but I love the change of scenery. It felt refreshing to freeze for a couple days (but that's not to say that I didn't do my fair share of complaining while the sharp winds and snow hit my face, of course).

I've been snowboarding a good ten years or so, but I can't really say that I go flying down the slopes like a seasoned pro. It has nothing to do with skill, mind you, I totally get the technique, but cautiousness is a personality trait I can't seem to grow out of. I wish I had taken a big spill, just so I could see for myself that, yes, I'll actually survive. This antecdote parellels to other news going on in life - a risk of sorts - but I am saving that for next week :) For some reason, that news just doesn't pair well with pancakes. Speaking of, these are excellent. I have browsed, and am now closely studying Kim Boyce's Good to the Grain , as it is a stunning and inspiring cookbook. I only slightly altered these pancakes by adding some spices and swapping in buttermilk. The pear flavor here is pretty gentle, so make sure you use ripe and fragrant ones. I am an eggs-for-breakfast girl, but my cute barista has requested something on the sweeter side, and I'm not one to contest a whole grain pear pancake.

Enjoy your weekend!

PEAR + BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES // Makes 12

Adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce

1 Cup Buckwheat Flour

1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1/2 Cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour

3 Tbsp. Turbinado Sugar

2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Baking Spice Blend*

3/4 tsp. Sea Salt

2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 Cup Buttermilk

1/2 Cup Milk

1 Large Egg

2 Firm Pears (I used Bosc and Comice)

1/2 Cup Honey

2 oz. (1/2 stick) Unsalted Butter

* I have a baking spice blend from Penzey's that has some anise in it that I thought was great here - you could use a bit of cardamom, nutmeg or cinnamon as an alternative. Boyce doesn't mention any spice at all - so up to you.

1. Sift all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, making sure everything is evenly distributed.

2. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk/milk, and butter until combined. If you don't have buttermilk, all milk will be just fine.

3. Peel the pears, and grate them in the large holes of a box grater. Add the pears and their juices to the buttermilk mixture.

4. Gently add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir 'til just combined. It should be fairly thick - Boyce recommends letting it sit for a little while, or overnight in the fridge. If you let it rest, you will need to thin it out with milk, 1 Tbsp. at a time. Adjust to your pancake thickness preference.

5. Melt the honey and 2oz. of butter together, and keep warm to pour over the pancakes later.

6. Heat a cast iron pan, or griddle over medium heat. Add batter in 1/4 cup mounds to the pan, once the tops start to bubble, check that the bottoms are golden brown and flip to the other side. Cook about 5 minutes total.

7. Wipe the pan between batches, and rub a little butter in between.

Serve the pancakes hot from the skillet, with a splash of honey butter on top.

MULTIGRAIN MAPLE MINI MUFFINS

I could have sworn up and down that I hated maple, until I met these mini muffins. I find that maple is one of those particular flavors that people love or hate. Like black licorice, grape candy, the consistency of cottage cheese or fennel. The fact that it's a natural sweetener, makes me feel like I should like it, but it's just not for me. Hugh is pro-maple so I figured if we made these and I hated them, at least someone would eat them. I hoarded a majority of them.

There is an entire cup of real maple syrup in the recipe, which sounds like a lot, but with all the dense flours, the strength of it dissipates. I used a pretty lengthy list of ingredients, but if you don't think you'll ever use a whole bag of buckwheat flour, try to find a store that sells flours/grains in bulk and you can buy just what you need by weight. Or, as I've suggested before, make extra and give some away. I mean, they taste pretty healthy for a muffin, but it's January, people are into that sort of thing.

MULTIGRAIN MAPLE MINI MUFFINS// Makes 12 or 24 Minis

1/2 Cup Buckwheat Flour

1/2 Cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Wheat Bran

1/2 Cup Oatmeal (plus extra for garnish)

1 Tbsp. Cinnamon

1 Tsp. Fresh Grated Nutmeg (if you have it)

1 Tsp. Salt

1 Tbsp. Fresh Grated Ginger

1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda

2 Large Eggs

1 Cup Real Maple Syrup

1 Cup Buttermilk

2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

1/2 Cup Lowfat Cottage Cheese (I blended mine up a tad, but this is optional)

1 Cup Pecan Pieces, divided

Oven at 350'

1. In a large mixing bowl, sift all flours, the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together. Grate the ginger right on top. Spray or butter your muffin tins and set aside.

2. In two other bowls, seperate the egg yolks from the whites. In the bowl with the yolks, add the maple, vanilla and buttermilk and whisk to combine. Beat or use an electric mixer to whip up the egg whites until they just start to hold shape.

3. Mix the wet into the dry ingredients until just combined. Add the cottage cheese and 1/2 cup of the pecan pieces and gently fold in. Lastly, just before you're ready to put batter into the tins, fold in the whipped egg whites. Because the dough is somewhat heavy, try to fold from the outside of the bowl in, to not deflate the egg whites.

4. The mini tins hold about two spoonfuls of mix, if using larger tins, fill them about 3/4 full. Sprinkle the top with a few chopped pecans and a few oat flakes. Bake on the middle rack for 20-23 minutes (cooking times may vary depending on tin). Remove and cool. I recommend a little spread of plain greek yogurt.