Blackberry Farm Griddle Cakes

In the latest issue of BonAppetit I was drawn in by an article on 10 foodie hotels. When you combine the adventures of travel and the deliciousness of good food, you definitely have my attention. And, I was not surprised when the #1 hotel was Blackberry Farm in Tennessee.

As a child, my family from the south met our family from the north in this remote, luxurious yet rustic resort in the Smokey Mountains. I remember it fondly. I remember the down mattress covers, pillows and comforters; I remember the bowls of sweet candy in every room in the inn; I remember the misty mountain views; and I remember the rich, southern charm. What I don’t remember, though, was the food. I was somewhere between ten and fifteen, so the foodie appeal of the resort was somewhat lost on me. And it is a shame, since today I would give anything to experience the food lovingly written about in BonAppetit.

Although the cost is somewhere about $1000 a night, the issue gives you the ability to bring a dish from Blackberry Farm home – their griddle cakes. So, naturally, we decided to recreate the experience on a rainy Sunday morning.

The ingredient list is nothing short of intimidating. And I will admit, when I read it, I thought I could just use whole wheat flour instead of the oat flour, buckwheat flour and brown rice flour mix the recipe calls for. But my husband insisted we do the recipe justice, and I am so glad he did.

We found the flours at Whole Foods (nowhere else, though), and it turned into an expensive breakfast, yet we were able to mix additional dry mix for more griddle cakes at a later date (saved in a container for another weekend).

I don’t know what flour did the trick, but the nutty flavor of the griddle cakes, combined with the texture of the cornmeal makes for a hearty and absolutely delicious breakfast. It was worth every penny and every trip to the grocery store looking for the elusive flours.

I highly recommend these, made the way I did with extra dry mix for easy griddle cakes later. Then the rest is cake. Well, pancakes. And although the steep price of Blackberry Farm might mean that I don’t experience its beauty again, I can at least experience its breakfast.

BLACKBERRY FARM GRIDDLE CAKES
Serves 6

Fast-track this recipe by tripling the dry ingredients and storing them in a jar. At breakfast time, scoop out 2 1/4 cups. All the other measurements stay the same.

1 large egg
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup gluten-free oat flour (I didn’s use the gluten-free version since we couldn’t find it)
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil (for skillet)

Whisk egg, buttermilk, and maple syrup in a small bowl. Whisk oat flour, cornmeal, rice flour, buckwheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Whisk buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients, then whisk in butter until no lumps remain.

Heat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat; lightly brush with oil. Working in batches, pour batter by 1/4-cupfuls into skillet. Cook until bottoms are browned and bubbles form on top of griddle cakes, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook until griddle cakes are cooked through, about 2 minutes longer.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2013/05/blackberry-farm-griddle-cakes#ixzz2RneqXXHI