Banana Bliss

Snow in the northwest is a funny thing. People here panic, schools close, and the weather reporters run 24/7 coverage of "The Big Storm of '07." The hilarious bit is that it's for 1 -2 inches of snow that melts away by 3 pm.

It snowed last night and the sight of the cold, white layer outside triggered my natural response - bake something! When my tousle-headed child wandered into the kitchen and requested pancakes, I knew exactly what to make. I'd been eyeballing the Banana Sour Cream Pancakes in Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa Family Style (I'm loving this cookbook - I made dinner from it last night, too.).

The pancakes were marvelous- the bananas cooked into the pancakes gave them an intense banana flavor, the pancakes were hearty without being leaden, and with peanut butter smeared on top (if you're that kind of person, which I am) they were sublime. I could barely wait for my resident photographer to finish with the pictures so I could taste them. Oh my, it was difficult not to moan while eating these. My children quickly polished off theirs and the little one even asked for seconds. And thirds. I'm hoping he won't burst.



Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream (I used low fat)
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. milk
2 extra-large eggs (I used large)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp grated lemon zest
Unsalted butter
2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving
Peanut butter (optional)
Maple syrup

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.

Melt 1 Tbsp of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan using a 1/4 cup measure. Distribute a rounded Tbsp. of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook fr another minute, until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, optional peanut butter, and maple syrup.