Round Turned Upside Down! Wild Blueberry Pancakes Take a Savory Turn

  by  breahn 

For some, food fun days like National Blueberry Pancake Day herald the wonderful ways to enjoy a breakfast favorite swathed in their favorite companion, the mouth-watering wild blueberry. But for others, such a celebration brings the breakfast blues. A day that celebrates a food with the word “cake” in it is one of restraint for many of us, not celebration.

Enter this month’s most heartening foodie find: Fabio Viviani’s Perfect Savory Pancakes – a true upset for the blueberry pancake traditionalist, and for those who have pledged to forgo the treat due to its carb and sugar excesses, a deliciously welcome one.

In this flapjack flip-flop, ricotta cheese lends the richness, and a sprinkle of smoked paprika provides an unexpected lift for such an early hour. Forget the syrup, says Viviani of this savory, not sweet treat: topping these pancakes with syrup would be nothing short of “a disaster!” He uses olive oil instead in a nod to the savory switcheroo, and an astonishing dusting of Parmesan cheese adds the final touch. What could be more out of the blue?

Viviani says the key to fluffy pancakes is to let the batter get thick but not too thick. He blends the blueberries into the batter early, in a complete hotcake turn-around from our favored blueberry pancake method, though he adheres to proper pancake protocol when applying the ricotta. The blueberries carry the sweet load in this dish, providing the perfect foil against the dominant savory taste.

Said one Wild About Health reader who gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up, “It’s really more like an omelet than a pancake.” He put frozen wild blueberries in with the ricotta to intensify the fruit flavor (perfectly acceptable!) and sprinkled it with feta instead of Parmesan.

What’s even better about this breakfast indulgence is that it cuts the flour of a traditional pancake in half. How? Credit the natural fiber called pectin, one of the wild blueberry’s myriad nutritional advantages.

Pectin – A Hidden Benefit of the Wild Blueberry

Pectin is a naturally occurring substance found in berries and other fruits like apples that can cause thickening when heated.  (It’s what creates the consistency of jams and jellies.) The high fiber content in wild blueberries comes in the form of this natural thickening agent. One of the reasons this powerfully nutritious berry is also known to help stomach problems and improve digestive disturbances like IBS may be, in part, due to the pectin fiber content – half a cup of blues has as much fiber as a slice of whole wheat bread!

Thanks to the blueberry’s pectin, says Viviani, cutting the flour content is easy in these griddle luminaries.  In addition to the wonderful gastrointestinal benefits, this unique take on the cake provides a great alternative if you are cutting carbs as well. What a delightful way to face the day!

Pour it and Ignore it! 

Watch Fabio Viviani’s griddle method as he walks through his Perfect Savory Pancakes. View the Chow Ciao video featuring Fabio.