Maple Walnut Pancakes with Pomegranates

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…savoring the fall!

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While the dazzling colors of autumn are rare treat in the town where we live, the flavors are not. There has not been a day in this house without indulging on bowls of pomegranates for the past many weeks. These shimmering jewels have taken over any given fruit at this moment.
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My dad brought back a bottle of the golden syrup of the fall from Michigan farmer’s market. Maple Syrup: the flavors of which abundantly reminds me of the Nolen gur back home, the sticky dripping date palm jaggery that dominates the winters in Bengal.

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The apples and pears are coming home, each variety at a time. Warm and tender apples with cinnamon quickly make after school snacks. Spice poached pears simmer vigorously unfurling the essence of autumn in every corner of our home. Walnuts are scooped out in bags from the enormous crates. With the noticeably lower prices, the allure of seasonal eating begins. I do not know when I stopped missing the berries. Nature has a strange way to have us move on effortlessly…

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Our long awaited Thanksgiving break started with T getting pneumonia. Not a good start, but we stayed home, changed our plans around a little bit and just had a lot of family time.On Sunday we all slept in, only to wake up hungry, craving for a good breakfast. The breakfast rolled into brunch as we lazed around.

Not much of a recipe here: just another variation of pancakes. I never thought I would actually post this. It all started with me trying to make T eat something and we whispered and exchanged ideas while still in bed. The thought of chocolate chip pancakes progressed to this hearty meal, bursting and overflowing with seasonal textures and flavors of the season.

There are a million ways to have a pancake… I know. I will document only the ones we absolutely love!

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Maple Walnut Pancakes with Pomegranates

Ingredients: (makes approx. 5- 6 pancakes)

1 cup all purpose flour + 1/4 cup whole wheat, sifted

2-3 tablespoon coarsely ground flaxseed

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup pure maple syrup, or to taste*

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1+ 1/4 cup milk (may be a little bit more if the batter gets too thick)

1 tablespoon melted butter

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla or almond extract (seeds crushed to powder)

1/4- 1/2 cup roughly chopped walnut, or adjust to taste

melted butter to cook the pancakes

pure maple syrup and pomegranates, and more walnuts to serve with

* adjust amount to how sweet you want. If using less you might need to add extra milk for the right conistency of the batter. For lighter pancakes, use less whole wheat and more all purpose flour.

Method:

If you want thinner pancakes, use more milk to make a runny batter.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla/almond extract; add to flour mixture, stirring only until smooth. Mix in melted butter. If the batter seems too thick to pour, add a little more milk. (to makes things easier, I just combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and blend everything together until smooth in a blender).

Fold in the flaxseed and the walnuts.

Cook on a hot griddle greased with melted, using approximately 1/4 -1/3 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbly, a little dry around the edges, and lightly browned on the bottom; flip and brown the other side. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Top with maple syrup, fresh pomegranates and more walnuts if you want.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves/Makes: 5 pancakes (or more if smaller)
Difficulty Level: Easy