Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Corncakes with Local Huckleberries and Lime Curd for Two

The temperature is sitting at 43 degrees with a predicted high of 51. The ski run is socked in with fog...fall is definitely in the air this morning.   I closed all the windows from being open all night (brrrr!) and had the urge to be in the kitchen and make some comfort food for breakfast.
I had huckleberries in the fridge from our time spent picking in the mountains.  They needed to be utilized so I decided upon huckleberry corncakes and lime curd.  I made a latte to go along with my breakfast.


Lemon and lime both pair well with blueberries. Wild huckleberries are similiar in flavor profile to blueberries, and I had limes on hand so I settled for making lime curd.  The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dorenenburg is a great book to reach for when unsure about food profiles and pairing "what with what".  I made this first and allowed it to cool slightly while I made the corncakes.  I followed a Gourmet January 2001 lemon curd recipe that I found on Epicurious, substituting lime for the lemon.

Lime Curd

makes approximately 1 cup

1/2 cup lime juice
2 tsp lime zest (~ zest from one lime)
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
3 large egg yolks
6 tbsp unsalted butter

Whisk ingredients together in a small saucepan.  Cook over moderately low heat until thick. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least an hour.


I used a basic pancake recipe from Michael Ruhlman's "Ratio" book...2 parts liquid: 1 part egg: 1/2 part butter: 2 parts flour

Huckleberry Corncakes

makes approx 6-3" dia cakes

Wet Ingredients:
2 oz organic skim milk
2 oz full fat yogurt (I used Brown Cow)
1 large egg
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:
1 oz brown rice flour
1 oz cornmeal
2 oz ap flour (I used Wheat Montana)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup wild huckleberries

Mix wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls. Add wet to dry and stir until just mixed.  Grease a griddle with butter or bacon grease...yep, I used the latter.  This creates crisp outer edges.  Spoon batter onto hot griddle and sprinkle tops of corncakes with huckleberries. Cook till golden, flip and continue cooking until done.  Serve immediately.


I like a thicker cake, so these turned out nice and puffy. If you prefer a thinner cake, add 1-2 oz of milk.

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