currently cooking: sweet corn pancakes

My dear friend Annie and I agree on the fact that Smitten Kitchen is simply the best.

This food blog created by a New Yorker called Deb features mouth watering dishes discovered and prepared in the author's tiny Manhattan kitchen (sympathize). Her recipe choices always look and sound amazing.

After drooling over the site's post for Sweet Corn Pancakes over the past few weeks, I took the plunge last weekend while S and I were visiting his parents and whipped up a batch.

These tasty cakes were both savory and sweet and well...delicious. Although I cooked a few too long (thanks again to the fam who sweetly ate them anyway), I highly recommend making if you still have access to fresh corn on the cob.

(images courtesy Smitten Kitchen)

Smitten Kitchen's Sweet Corn Pancakes

Makes about 9 to 10 4-inch pancakes

2 tablespoons butter (1 ounce or 28 grams), plus additional for brushing pan
3/4 cup kernels cut from one large ear sweet fresh corn
1/8 teaspoon (1 gram) salt plus additional for seasoning corn
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups (296 ml) buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon (13 grams) sugar
3/4 cup (3 3/8 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (3/4 ounce or 22 grams) cornmeal, any kind
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Melt butter in a large cast iron skillet or griddle pan over medium heat. Add corn and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, until it begins to brown ever-so-slightly. Sprinkle with salt and set aside to cool. Wipe out skillet.

Lightly beat egg in the bottom of a large bowl, then whisk in buttermilk, corn, vanilla and sugar. In a smaller bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet, mixing until just combined but still lumpy in appearance.

Reheat your skillet or saute pan to medium. Brush the pan with butter and ladle 1/4 cup batter at a time, 2 inches apart. When the pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges, flip them over and cook them until golden brown underneath. If they seem to be cooking too quickly (dark on the outside, raw centers) turn your heat down to low for the next batch and inch it up as needed. Repeat with remaining batter, and serve immediately with a pat of salted butter and a healthy dose of maple syrup.