Every weekend, Chicago’s beer-loving breakfast-eaters head to Revolution Brewing for chef Jason Petrie’s pancakes, loaded with the brewery’s Eugene porter. Petrie tops the warm cakes with a slice of cinnamon-cherry compound butter; a handful of chopped tart, unsweetened Michigan cherries; candied pecans; and a dusting of powdered sugar, and serves a dose of maple syrup on the side—though the pancakes are equally good crowned with fresh bananas and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.
Makes: 10
Ingredients:- CANDIED PECANS
- 1 pound pecan pieces
- 1¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons salt
- CINNAMON-CHERRY COMPOUND BUTTER
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- ½ cup unsweetened cherries, softened and roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- PORTER PANCAKES
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1⁄3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1½ cups buttermilk
- 4 ounces Porter
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions:
• MAKE THE CANDIED PECANS: Preheat an oven to 350 F. Spread the pecan pieces on a baking sheet, and bake about 5 minutes, until the nuts are just toasted.
• Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, and lightly spray the paper with nonstick spray.
• Combine the sugar and water in a large sauté pan. Turn on the heat to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a boil. Use a pastry brush dipped in water to frequently brush down the sides of the pan so sugar crystals don’t form. Heat the mixture until it reaches 250 to 265 F (use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature); the syrup should drip from a wooden spoon in thick threads.
• Remove the pan from heat. Working quickly, add the nuts to the pan and stir to coat them with the syrup. Sprinkle on spices and stir to distribute evenly. Add salt and stir 1 minute more as the liquid begins to harden and nuts begin to separate.
• Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, and spray the top of the nuts very lightly with nonstick spray. Break any large clusters of nuts, and let cool until warm to the touch. Serve warm, or refrigerate for up to a week.
• MAKE THE COMPOUND BUTTER: Combine all ingredients in a medium glass bowl. Using the back of a fork, mash the ingredients together until well-combined. Spoon the butter onto a sheet of plastic wrap, roll into a log, and twist the ends; refrigerate until ready to use (up to 5 days), or freeze up to 1 month. Slice and use as needed.
• MAKE THE PANCAKES: In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. Add the buttermilk, porter and eggs, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the melted butter until the batter is well-combined.
• Heat a griddle over medium heat and brush with additional melted butter. Drop the pancake batter onto the hot griddle using about 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form, 1 to 2 minutes; flip, then cook 1 to 2 minutes more, until both sides of the pancakes are light golden brown. Keep covered until ready to serve. Top each serving with cinnamon-cherry compound butter, candied pecans, chopped cherries and powdered sugar, or your choice of toppings.
