Syrian-Style Pancakes with Pomegranate Molasses

My morning cycling class kicked my butt big-time and by evening all I could think about was what I wanted for dessert, never mind dinner. Although cookies and cake are my go-to treats, I passed by IHOP on the way home and had an epiphany: You need pancakes. Then, I looked at the glossy photos of IHOP's Frankencakes laden with fake syrup and god-knows-what sort of fruit substitute and had a follow-up epiphany: But never those pancakes. 

When their powers combine, wonderful things happen.

Rifling through my pantry at home for ingredients and add-ins, I remembered how orange blossom water added such a lovely flavor to the zarda I made a few months ago, and I decided to make American pancakes with some Syrian inflections via the inclusion of staple ingredients from the latter country's cuisine. 

Mix-ins: Pistachios and dried berries.

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour

• 1/4 cup white sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• Pinch salt

• 1 cup milk

• 1 egg

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 teaspoons orange blossom water

• 1/2 cup pistachios, raisins, and dried cranberries

Directions

1. Thoroughly combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk milk and egg together. Add olive oil, vanilla extract, and orange blossom water.

3. Add wet ingredient mixture to dry ingredients, mixing slowly.

4. Add in pistachios, raisins, and dried cranberries.

5. In a large frying pan heavily coated with cooking spray over low heat, dump about half the batter. Cook first side of pancake until bubbles begin to emerge, then flip gently.  Watch closely as the second side will take less time to cook than the first.

This is how you know one side is done.

6. Repeat.

7. Serve with pomegranate molasses and Maine maple syrup.

Using olive oil instead of butter or other vegetable oils gives these pancakes a slightly earthy flavor that is well balanced by the subtle sweetness of the orange blossom and vanilla. I love also how the whole pistachios provide contrasting crunch to the otherwise uniformly soft, supple cakes.