Cornmeal Pancakes with Blueberries

Last Saturday I saw a production of Romeo and Juliet that had no words.  The actors used dancing and movement to convey the story line.  The lighting and music help give context and emotion to the scenes.  

It was a modern interpretation.  The dancing was modern dance and the music was kind of techno.  I enjoyed it, but it was different.  I had never seen anything like it before.  It was helpful that I was familiar with the story line.  It would be difficult to understand King Lear without any words.  

The conflict between the two families wasn't conveyed.  It seemed like a fight between two groups of teenagers instead of a multigenerational family feud.  It was fun.  The actors were good dancers, and I enjoyed watching their movements.

This cornmeal pancake recipe came from the Pioneer Woman.  I changed it up a little by adding blueberries, which isn't a drastic change.  Blueberries come from from perennial, flowering shrubs.  Michigan and Georgia are the largest producers of blueberries in the United States.

Blueberries are traditionally picked by hand, but many modern farmers use machines that shake the berries from the shrubs.  Blueberries contain manganese, vitamin C, and vitamin K.

Blueberries are native to North America.  They have been eaten for over 13,000 years.  Blueberries were domesticated in the early 20th century.  Elizabeth White and Frederick Coville produced the first comercial crop of blueberries in 1916.  This year is the centennial!

The ingredients are 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 helping cups yellow cornmeal, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons baking powder, 4 tablespoons sugar, 2 cups milk, 2 large eggs, 3 tablespoon anilla, 4 tablespoons melted butter, and 1 1/2 cups blueberries.  I used frozen blueberries.

I added the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder and sugar into a big bowl.  I whisked the dry ingredients together.

In another bowl, I whisked the milk, eggs, and vanilla together.

I poured the milk and egg mixture into the dry ingredients and stirred.

I gently folded in the blueberries.

I greased a skillet on medium-high heat.  I dolloped on a fourth to a third of a cup of batter on the skillet for each pancake.

I flipped the pancakes once the edges looked dry.  I cooked the other side for a few minutes.

I served these with strawberry greek yogurt.

The original recipe came with a blackberry syrup, which sounds delicious.  Fresh fruit and whipped cream or a fruit compote would be excellent garnishes for these pancakes too.

 These were appetizing and tasty.  The pancakes had a hearty texture because of the cornmeal.  The cornmeal also made the pancakes subtly sweet.

 Despite being hearty, the pancakes were not dense.  They were still fluffy.  The pancakes had a perfect balance of being both light and substantial.  The blueberries softened, sweetened, and became jammy.

 The edges were golden and brown.  These pancakes were appetizing and plesaurable.  They made a delightful breakfast.