How do you treat yourself on weekends, or your days off of work or school? Despite what glamorous meals our Instagram may show (#latergram), my weekday breakfasts are often simple and boring, for the sake of being convenient and quick to make and consume. On the days where I’m not rushing off to catch the bus, I will treat myself to a tall stack of hot pancakes and savour each and every bite. These rare days are motivate me to get through the week.
Around Chinese New Year, during the winter-spring transition period, kumquats become available at our local grocers. For those that love marmalade, I’m certain you’ll fancy kumquats too. Kumquats don’t have the usual ‘citrus flesh’ so you’re really just eating zest and pith, but sans bitterness. I recall several instances in my childhood where either myself, my brother, or my cousins would ask “So…do I eat the whole thing?” to the adult that offered them a kumquat. Not having to peel a citrus fruit was just too strange for our little minds to handle.
This particular weekend I decided to be fancy and candy some kumquats to top my pancakes with. Candying fruit may sound complicated and time consuming, but lazy ol’ me can assure you that that isn’t the case. With some coconut sugar, honey, water, and 20 minutes, you’ll be rewarded with a bowl of delectable kumquats and a thick amber syrup of sophisticated sweetness. It’ll be difficult to avoid snacking on the candied kumquats while you flip pancakes!
Spring brings glimpses of sunshine, warmer weather, and more fruit! Having fruits other than apples, oranges, and bananas to choose from at the market makes me very excited. We’ve already made good use of mango season (yuuuus mangoes!) by adorning this cake with mango rosettes. To reflect this brighter season, I paired the candied kumquats with yellow cornmeal pancakes. These are actually one of the best pancakes I’ve ever made! Not only are they extra fluffy, but they are a breeze to cook too. Gluten free pancakes can be a pain to flip because the lack of coherence causes the pancakes to break, but none of this problem here!
I hope you’ll enjoy these pancakes as much as I did. A stack of pancakes and sunny weather will surely make any weekend joyful. Cheers to spring and an abundance of seasonal produce!
- CANDIED KUMQUATS
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp honey
- ½ cup water
- A dash of pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups fresh kumquats, washed, cut and seeded
- CORNMEAL PANCAKES
- ⅓ cup cornmeal
- ½ cup oats, ground into flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- A pinch each of salt and lemon zest
- 1 egg
- ½ cup almond milk
- ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp melted coconut oil
- For the candied kumquats, heat the coconut sugar, honey, water, and vanilla extract in a small saucepan or a small skillet over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved and liquid begins to boil. Add the kumquats, reduce the heat to medium, and cook uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, until the kumquats soften. Once cooked, remove the kumquats with a slotted spoon into a bowl and bring the liquid back to a boil over medium-high heat and reduce until syrupy. It should be thick enough coat the back of the spoon. Transfer the syrup into a small bowl and set aside.
- For the pancakes, whisk together the cornmeal, oat flour, baking soda and powder, salt and lemon zest in a small mixing bowl.
- Whisk together the egg, milk, vanilla, honey, and coconut oil in another small mixing bowl. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook pancakes using about 2 tbsp of batter per pancake. Flip when edges begin to look dry and a few bubbles surface.
- Serve pancakes with candied kumquats, a drizzle of the coconut sugar syrup, and yogurt if desired.
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