Friday Morning Pancake Brunch

It's friday morning, and you wake up, and you begin simmering some blueberries in maple syrup.  Next you're brewing coffee and mixing sour cream, lemon zest, bananas, and vanilla extract together, the subtle aromas slowly bringing you out of your sleepy daze.  Your roomates start to awake, one puts Clair de Lune on the stereo.  The room fills with warm maple syrup, bursting blueberries, sugar, and good company.  If something ever deserved to be a Friday morning ritual, it is this.

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• Unsalted butter
• 2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving
• Pure maple syrup

Directions

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, 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 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a rounded tablespoon 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 for another minute until browned.

BLUEBERRY MAPLE SYRUP = simmer 1/2 pint blueberries with 1 cup maple syrup for 10 minutes.  Serve warm.