cornmeal pancakes & rhubarb blackberry compote

i recently admitted to feeling embarrassed for blogging about rhubarb, since it's completely taking over the foodblog stratosphere at this time of year, and here i am doing it again a few posts later. and--what's even more silly--i shared an almost identical recipe about a year ago.

but the pancakes. i love them so. cornmeal is such an incredible way to add crisp and a light crunch to everything you make, with a much more present flavor than AP flour, that it's tempting to swap in a cup or so in everything i bake. the pancakes in the pictures are, sadly, not my beloved bob's red mill corncakes, as i normally get the recipe off the cornmeal package and didn't have it with me at the time, and couldn't find it on the internet (and for whatever reason it didn't occur to me to check the bob's red mill website. eeurgh.). so i tried a different one, and it wasn't awesome, which completely reaffirms my love for bob's red mill.

and the compote. well, rhubarb may or may not be overkill, but when your boyfriend surprises you with a bouquet of electric pink rhubarb, i promise you that it's better than flowers.

i'm in the midst of moving into my new house in east moreland, which is stressful but exciting. i get to bum around portland for the next week or so, hopefully cooking lots in my beautiful kitchen, before heading back to new york for the summer. i know what i'll probably miss the most is cooking with aforementioned boyfriend, who left tonight for germany for an indefinite amount of time.

after spending all day packing, we realized around 5 that neither of us had eaten all day. we threw together what is (hopefully) one of the heaviest things i'll eat for weeks: a galette stuffed with mozzarella, lightly caramelized onions and thinly sliced apples. the crust was a leftover disc of dough from a disastrous attempt at an orange artichoke galette (more on that later)--but the crust was a keeper (thank you, david lebovitz). it was the last thing we thought up in the kitchen together for a long time, comforting and buttery and sweet.

i'm bummed to be leaving portland for the summer, but plan on consoling myself with pancakes. and the beach. and my mother. and maybe some more rhubarb, too.
cornmeal pancakes
adapted from bob's red mill
makes about 14 pancakes

• 1 cup boiling water
• 3/4 cup stone ground cornmeal
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk*
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup spelt flour (or all-purpose)
  
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup (4 tbsps, or 1/2 stick) melted butter

*see instructions here on how to "make" buttermilk

pour water over cornmeal, stir until thick. add milk and beat in eggs. sift together baking powder, flour, salt and baking soda. add to cornmeal mixture. stir in butter and fry on hot ungreased griddle or cast iron pan (i like to use roughly 1/4 cup batter per pancake). serve with syrup or rhubarb blackberry compote (recipe below).
blackberry rhubarb compote
makes enough for 3 generous servings

• 2 cups rinsed rhubarb, chopped into 1/4" segments
• 2 cups rinsed blackberries (or berries of your choice)
• 1/4-1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• zest of 1/2 lemon (optional)

combine first three ingredients in a medium saucepan, starting with the lower amount of sugar. stir to coat fruit and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fruit starts to release liquid. mash berries lightly with a wooden spoon against the side of the pot. taste and adjust for sugar (this will depend entirely on the tartness of your fruit).

cook an additional ten minutes or so until fruit is very soft and falling apart. stir in cinnamon and lemon zest, taste a final time for sugar, and serve hot.