Valentine's Day falls on a Sunday this year, making it the perfect opportunity to show your love and affection with a heartfelt brunch! We've set our brunch table with our hand-painted heart ceramicware, milk glass, a colorful floral arrangement, and some satin heart candy boxes. I haven't ever known anyone to deny a box full of chocolates!
Who doesn't love pancakes? Our two favorite versions happen to be those that we reserve for making on special occasions. The first is what we call our 'birthday pancakes'. Why? In all honesty, the first time we tried them was on my 40th birthday. From that point forward, friends have asked for the recipe and beg to have them time and time again when visiting our home. The second is a skillet recipe with berries and mascarpone. This version is as beautiful in color as it is delicious. What I can promise you in either, are satisfied guests.
Whether you choose to use your favorite store-bought pancake mix or make your own from scratch, you can follow these simple guidelines to making either the skillet pancakes or the 'birthday' pancakes.
Skillet Pancakes
Ingredients
Pancake Mix, your favorite store-bought kind (we love Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Pancake Mix)
1 C of Ricotta Cheese (per every 3 C of Pancake Mix)
1/2 C of Whole Milk
Vanilla Infused Maple Syrup (*our favorite is Organic Madagascar Vanilla Maple Syrup - sold at Whole Foods)
Heavy Cream (*optional for making whipped cream)
Mascarpone (*optional, yet the best part, in my opinion)
Fresh Berries
Equipment & Utensils
Large Mixing Bowl
Large Whisk
Measuring Cup
Electric Hand Mixer (if you are making whipped cream)
Medium Mixing Bowl
Skillet
Spatula
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare the pancake mix as instructed on the box. *We add 1 cup of ricotta cheese per every 3 cups of pancake mix, and we use whole milk for the liquid.
Heat the skillet pan on high over your range, adding a little bit of grease to your pan.
Pour the pancake mix into your skillet pan.
Add your favorite fruit (we prefer both red berries and blueberries).
Now place the skillet pan into the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Add a generous pour of vanilla syrup over the top of the pancake, and put it back into the oven for another five minutes.
Serve with fresh whipped cream and mascarpone.
Birthday Pancakes
Ingredients
8 Medium Sized Pancakes (made from your favorite store-bought mix)
1/2 C of Butter
1/2 C of Syrup
Equipment & Utensils
Skillet
Spatula
Heat the skillet pan on medium over your range.
Melt the butter in the pan.
Now add the syrup and combine.
Saturate each pancake into your butter/syrup mixture, long enough to coat each side, but not for too long. Be careful not to caramelize! If that occurs, you have cooked the pancakes for too long.
Bon Appétit!
The hand-painted ceramics used for our Valentine's Day Brunch were designed by Backcountry Mercantile and hand-painted by FIMA Deruta in Italy. The milk glass in the first photo is handcrafted by Mosser Glass Co. in Cambridge, Ohio. The vintage milk glass featured in the third photo is part of the curated vintage glass collection by Backcountry Mercantile (and the photo and styling by Maria Avila Designs). The fresh florals were arranged by McArdle's Florist & Design Center in Greenwich, CT. To browse our entire Valentine's Day collection, visit us at https://www.backcountrymercantile.com/valentine-s-day.
XX Amanda
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