Brown Butter Pumpkin Pancakes with Bourbon Cream

By Texaschef11

Ingredients

• 8 oz. buttermilk
• 1/3 cup fresh pumpkin puree, recipe above
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 stick brown butter, melted, recipe above
• 1 tspn vanilla
• 10 oz. flour
• 2 heaping Tbspn dark brown sugar
• 2 tspn baking powder
• 1 tspn salt
• 1 tspn freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tspn ground cinnamon

Preparation

Step 1

Pumpkin Puree

small sugar or pie pumpkins (the larger pumpkins don't taste good!, or use butternut squash)
oil (or butter--you'll want a oil with a higher smoke point, so avoid olive oil)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut the pumpkins in half and remove the seeds and fibers. Then cut the pumpkins into quarters.
3. Brush the exposed pumpkin flesh with a little bit of oil and place flesh-side down on a pan with sides (i.e., roasting pan or jelly roll pan).
4. Cover the top of the pumpkins with foil.
5. Bake in oven for 90 minutes to 2 hours, turning once in the middle, until a fork can easily slide into the pumpkin flesh. Remove from oven and cool.
6. Scoop out the flesh from the pumpkin skins and discard the skins.
7. In a food processor, blend the pumpkin flesh until smooth.
8. Place the pureed pumpkin in a sieve, with several layers of cheesecloth underneath. Drain in the refridgerator, covered, overnight for at least 8 hours. Discard any liquid collected.
9. Store pumpkin puree in the refrigerator or freeze.

Note: I didn't have any cheesecloth so I used several pieces of untreated, all-natural paper towels instead. They worked beautifully.


Brown butter
makes about 2 - 2 1/2 cups brown butter

Brown butter is such a great ingredient to have on hand to add an extra layer of flavor or depth to cookies, cakes, savory dishes, and--of course!--pancakes. After making brown butter, I let it set in the refrigerator and then wrap it up in parchment paper or foil to use as I would regular butter.

2 1/2 cups unsalted butter

1. In a small saucepan over medium high heat, melt the butter. Stir continuously to prevent burning.
2. Continue to let the butter cook until the solids at the bottom turn a deep amber brown color.
3. Remove from heat and let it re-solidify in the refrigerator.


Brown butter pumpkin pancakes


1. Combine buttermilk, pumpkin, eggs, melted brown butter, and vanilla in a bowl and whisk thoroughly.
2. Add the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
3. Oil lightly a medium hot skillet and cook the pancakes.

Bourbon mascarpone cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
2 Tbpsn powdered sugar
1 tspn vanilla
2-4 Tbspn bourbon, depending on strength desired

1. By hand, or with a mixer, whip the cream and mascarpone cheese until soft peaks. Do not overmix.
2. Stir in powdered sugar, vanilla, and bourbon to taste