Airbnb
Days like yesterday, with their brilliant sunshine and high barometer, actually make me feel like I am going to make it through another Winter here. We started the day with a nice walk with Harley and the sun invited me to snap a few photos here and there. It never made it to the forecasted 48F, but the sun felt warm when it was high up and it shed upon us it’s promise for a few weeks out from now.
On arrival back home, the sun shone strongly in from the east as I caught this shot on my fruit bowl.
One breakfast stood out from all the options, pancakes.
You’ll never miss the wheat flour here.
Making gluten-free pancakes has become a little game with me. I like fiddling around with my favorite basic recipe that came from Ellie Krieger. You can play around with your collection of nut, rice and legume flours and really come up with some yummy mixes. You don’t even need to use those gluten free pre-mixes if you don’t want to. Yesterday, I wanted to incorporate some hazelnuts, flour and nuts. I also wanted a sugar-free compote, which is easy to do if you know a couple of tricks.
Gluten Free Hazelnut Buttermilk Pancakes with Sugar Free Blueberry-Vanilla Bean Compote – adapted from Ellie Krieger
3/4 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup hazelnut flour
2 tsp baking powder
1tblsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon zest
seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
In a large bowl, whisk together the brown rice flour, the almond flour, the hazelnut flour, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, and cornstarch. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, sunflower oil, honey and lemon zest and seeds from 1/2 of the vanilla bean. Combine wet and dry mixtures. Let sit while you start the compote.
Making a sugar free compote is really very easy. Every fruit has its own amount of natural pectin, so add only a splash of water in the beginning to get the fruit to break down.
Sugar Free Blueberry-Vanilla Bean Compote
1/2 pint fresh blueberries
2 tbsp water
1 vanilla bean
1/2 tsp lemon zest
chopped hazelnuts for garnish
warm maple syrup, optional
In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, a splash of water, and the lemon zest. Bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to a simmer. When the blueberries have begun to break down, add the split vanilla bean. Continue to simmer until the mixture reaches a sauce consistency that you like. Some like it runnier, some like it thicker. The addition of the lemon and the vanilla will be all you need – you won’t miss any added sugar! Try this of course, with raspberries, strawberries, a mix or with your choice of fruit. Leave the sugar alone.
Preheat a griddle over medium heat and brush with butter. Pour 1/4 cup of the pancake batter onto the griddle for as many pancakes as will fit. Let cook until the edges start to firm. Flip and cook on the second side.
Top your pancakes with the compote and some chopped hazelnuts. I did add some maple syrup over the top.
There was only one place that called my name after breakfast. That was the NYBG. It was the perfect day for a visit. The sun was warm when we arrived around noontime, giving the sense of promise for about, 9 weeks from now. But, I did get the biggest surprises ever while there and I was elated at nature’s allure, even in January. On one hand, it was kind of disturbing to walk around the beds that were so full of blooms only a few short weeks ago, it seemed. The absence of all those Dahlias and Roses left me more than a little bit sad. But, I was lucky to find some promises and two huge surprises:
Promises:
Surprises:
Wow, show-stopping Camellias in bloom OUTSIDE! I found two huge specimens in full bloom, facing South, of course. There were also tons in bloom inside the Conservatory but it was too packed in there to get any photos. I, of course was giddy with all the completely magical outdoor blooms – it’s actually quite the challenge to take in that these blooms are real when juxtaposed with the snow and what was frigid air in the earlier morning.
Winter Honeysuckle
et al:
it was the last day of the train show and the display was chock full of families – I, however, was happier with the flowers and sites out of doors.
The clear and fresh air were very uplifting, as was another great lunch in the Hudson Garden Grill. 🙂