Breakfast: Oatmeal-Yogurt Pancakes with Blackberry Crush

Ingredients

2 cups/480 ml fresh blackberries
1/4 cup/50 g raw or turbinado sugar
1/4 cup/60 ml pure maple syrup, plus more if needed

Instructions

To make the Blackberry Crush: Combine the blackberries and sugar in a medium bowl and mash slightly with a fork. Strain the juice into a small pot and reserve the berries. Heat the juice over medium heat and simmer until it is thick, syrupy, and easily coats the back of the spoon, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the maple syrup. Cool slightly, and pour over the berries. Adjust the sweetness with additional maple syrup if needed. Set the syrup aside. To make the pancakes: Whisk together flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda/bicarbonate of soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, milk, the melted butter, and eggs. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and whisk in the wet ingredients until well incorporated. The batter should be thick, with little tiny bubbles on the surface. Heat a cast-iron or nonstick griddle or heavy frying pan over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles when splashed on the pan. Brush the griddle lightly with melted butter. Drop about 1/3 cup/75 ml of batter per pancake onto the hot griddle, leaving about 1 in/2. 5 cm or so between pancakes. When bubbles form around the edges of the batter, gently lift and flip the pancakes with a flexible spatula. Cook on the other side until the pancakes are golden brown around the edges, about 2 minutes. Don't worry if the first one doesn't come out perfect - just adjust your heat as needed and nibble on the practice pancake while you stack up a plate of beauties. Repeat, adding more butter to the pan as needed until all the pancakes are cooked. To serve, stack the pancakes as high as you dare, and garnish with butter or additional Greek yogurt and a generous ladle of Blackberry Crush. Serve hot and fresh. P. S. If you like light, evenly golden brown pancakes, go light on the butter in the pan, and keep the heat on your griddle nice and low. If you prefer a pancake with a crisper exterior and a golden rim, cook pancakes at slightly higher heat, using enough butter to sizzle and foam in the pan