Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes with Pomegranates and Chocolate Hazelnut Sauce

With autumn in full swing, I have decided to dedicate this month’s recipe to the humble, sometimes overlooked genus group called Cucurbita pepo or in other words, the pumpkin, the gourd, the squash.

They are incredibly healthy, quintessentially autumn and of course, colorful.  These fruits are wonderful to have in your kitchen; they can be served as a main entrée or side dish, their flavors compliment so many staples already in your pantry, they last forever and their interesting designs and colors look splendid as a table centerpiece.  Hopefully this pumpkin recipe will inspire you to try these sweet, strange, and sometimes enormous, little darlings.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: How fast you are at flipping pancakes?

Makes  20-22 pancakes with a 4 ” diameter

Dry Ingredients:

1 ¼  cup whole wheat pastry flour

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon pumpkin spice

Wet Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup whole milk

¾ cup Greek yogurt

¾ cup  100% pumpkin puree

(from a can or from scratch using the recipe below)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200°F. Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl; stir. Combine the wet ingredients in another bowl; whisk.

Right now, I am going  pancake rogue and telling you to NOT make a “well” in the dry ingredients to add the wet to; I have tried and tried this technique, even with sifting and sifting, but  I am always left with chunks of uncooked flour in my pancakes.

No more!

Add the dry ingredients gently (a little at a time) to the wet ingredients and whisk lightly to incorporate, but not too vigorous to activate gluten in the flour.

I have found this to produce a smoother, more consistent texture in the final pancakes.

Next, let the batter rest for 15 minutes while you heat up the griddle.

Grab your griddle or pan and place over medium – low heat,

( prep your pan with butter, cooking spray or a little coconut oil; any of these will be fine).

Using a ¼ cup, scoop the batter into sweet little rounds and cook until a few bubbles have popped in the center of the pancake

and the bottom is golden brown; gently flip to the other side and cook a few more minutes until the bottom is also golden brown.

Keep warm in a 200°F oven until ready to serve with pomegranates and hazelnut chocolate sauce.

Pomegranates and Hazelnut chocolate sauce

Makes 2/3 cup of sauce

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 5-8 minutes

Ingredients:

Seeds from 1 large pomegranate

6 Tablespoons of Nutella (hazelnut chocolate spread)

6 Tablespoons of whole milk

Directions:

Remove the seeds from the pomegranate and set aside.

In a double boiler, over low heat, combine the Nutella and milk.

Whisk them together until the Nutella melts into one delicious concoction.

Drizzle over pumpkin pancakes and sprinkle pomegranate seeds and powdered sugar.

Chef’s Notes:

Just a note of expectation; these pancakes are not going to be the fluffy, all white flour pancakes of your childhood.

They are a healthier version with a dose of extra protein due to the addition of Greek yogurt;

therefore, their size will puff on the griddle,then deflate on the plate,

but their taste is deliciously autumn.

Please feel free to double the recipe and freeze for a quick breakfast later.

A double boiler can be created by bringing a sauce pan filled with 2 cups of water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.

Rest a bowl on top of the sauce pan after it has come to a boil. Fill the bowl with Nutella and milk.

The steam from the pan will rise to gently heat up the base of the bowl resting on top.

The chocolate and milk will melt easily and quickly.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Makes about 16 oz of puree

Ingredients:

6 lb pumpkin – whole, medium sized is best for texture

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.

Remove the stem, cut the pumpkin in half from top to bottom, scoop out the seeds and stringy guts; finally, place pumpkin halves cut-side-down on the baking sheet. Roast until a fork inserts easily, about 45-50 minutes.

Remove from the oven; allow to cool before removing the flesh from the skin.

Place flesh into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Homemade puree is a little lighter in color and looser in texture than its canned equivalent,

if you would like your puree to be thicker, line a large fine mesh strainer with damp cheesecloth.

Transfer the pumpkin puree to the strainer and allow to drain for about an hour. Once it’s drained, transfer to an airtight container

and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.