Tin Camp Road and Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes

 

LUCY BURDETTE:  I hope today's post is a good follow-up to yesterday's discussion about islands with distinct settings. Two years ago, my side of the family gathered on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in a town called Grand Marais, which is on the edge of Lake Superior. What gorgeous country! I could almost imagine living there, although the cousins who do live there reported that they have difficult winters with many, many, many feet of snow.  Hmmm, maybe not.

One morning a few of us went to a diner where my sister ordered blueberry buckwheat pancakes. My vegetable frittata was quite delicious, but her pancakes lodged firmly in my mind. I begged everyone to return to the West Bay Diner the next day before we took our plane home. This time, I ordered the pancakes. And we realized that Ellen Airgood, the owner/chef of this cute diner, is also an author! 

We had a great time chatting with her and I later  enjoyed reading the book I bought called South of Superior. This summer, Ellen's new novel TIN CAMP ROAD was published and it is one of my favorite reads of the year so far.  She is a wizard with describing and using setting. Though her mother-daughter characters struggle through the upper peninsula winter in ways most of us will never have to, her descriptions of their love for the area almost make me want to try it. Almost...

Reds, can you think of a series or book where the writer's skill in describing setting makes you yearn to visit? Or even move to that location?

a favorite book and favorite hat

You can imagine that once I got home I had to try making the blueberry buckwheat pancakes. Here was my attempt to emulate Ellen Airgood's Lake Superior Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes.

Ingredients

3/4 cup buckwheat flour

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (low-sodium is fine!)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 and ¾ cup milk, with 1 tablespoon cider vinegar stirred in

1 tablespoon sugar

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup blueberries

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. In another bowl, beat together the milk, eggs, and melted butter. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to combine them. Stir in the berries.

Preheat a large griddle or skillet over a medium flame and add a tablespoon or so each of butter and canola oil. Ladle the batter onto the skillet. Flip the pancakes when bubbles have formed on top. Cook the other side until golden brown. Keep the first pancakes warm in a low oven while you make the rest. 

Serve with a big dollop of whole milk yogurt and real maple syrup.

And here are a few more pictures of Lake Superior...