Snow Day Fun / Quinoa & Beet Pancakes

Thursday, January 13, 2011 by Marianne 16 Comments

Those of you that live in New England know that we were hit with a super-awesome blizzard yesterday. It was super-awesome both because I love snow always, but also because it was forecasted well and meant a snow day for me and Gist. In honor of the snow day, I busted out my new favorite, Good to the Grain, and whipped up these pretty pink pancakes.

Gist loves beets, I think they may even be her favorite vegetable, so when I saw this recipe I knew I’d be making them for her. No surprise, she loved them. What surprised me was how easy they were to make, how light and fluffy they were, how good they tasted, how filling they were, and how virtuous I felt after eating them, even slathered with a ton of maple syrup and veggie sausages on the side 😉

They fueled me right up for a long snowshoe along the Merrimack River with my favorite snowshoeing partner, Simon.

I thank my lucky stars that I have a small dog who loves snow, even when it’s as high as he is:

Quinoa and Beet Pancakes
Recipe courtesy of Good to the Grain – buy this book, like, right now!

Butter for the pan
3 medium-small red beets

Dry Mix:

1/2 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Wet Mix:

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup plain yogurt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 egg

I did this part the night before. Pre-heat the oven to 400˚F. Place the beets in a glass or metal baking dish with about 1/2 cup water in the bottom. Cover with aluminum foil and roast until very tender, about 1 hour. Cool, peel, and purée the beets in a food processor or blender until smooth. You will need 1/2 cup of beet purée (any remaining purée can be frozen for another time).

Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, pouring back into the bowl any bits of grain or other ingredients that may remain in the sifter.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, yogurt, melted butter, egg, and 1/2 cup of beet purée until smooth. Using a spatula, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently combine. Using the spatula, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently combine. The batter should be the consistency of lightly whipped cream and crimson in color.

Although the batter is best if used immediately, it can sit for up to 1 hour on the counter or overnight in the refrigerator. When you return to the batter, it will be very thick and should be thinned, 1 tablespoon at a time, with milk–take great care not to overmix.

Heat a 10-inch cast-iron pan or griddle over medium heat until water sizzles when splashed onto the pan. Rub the pan generously with butter; this is the key to crisp, buttery edges, my favorite part of any pancakes. Working quickly, dollop 1/4-cup mounds of batter onto the pan, 2 or 3 at a time. Once bubbles have begun to form on the top side of the pancakes, flip it over and cook until the bottom is dark golden-brown, about 5 minutes total. Wipe the pan with a cloth before griddling the next batch. Rub the pan with butter and continue with the rest of the batter. If the pan is too hot or not hot enough, adjust the flame accordingly to keep results consistent.

Serve the pancakes hot, straight from the skillets, with a pitcher of warm maple syrup, encouraging your guests to pour as they please.