Last month, I went with friends to see Burn the Floor at the Kauffman Center. Before the matinée, we met for brunch at Bluebird Bistro. I had the pleasure of trying their strawberry pancakes with granola and sage. I liked the unexpected crunch of the granola and thought I could do my own twist using my basic pancake recipe. To switch it up, I added toasted almonds, blueberries and sliced strawberries. I also swapped my usual vanilla extract for almond and added in whole wheat flour. Replacing the sugar with honey adds a lovely floral note. The result is filling and fragrant. In my opinion, it would be a great way to kick off your 4th of July.

Berry and Almond Pancakes

Makes about 7 pancakes

1 egg

1 c. buttermilk

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tbsp. honey

1 tsp. almond extract

Zest and juice from half a lemon

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. and 2 tbsp. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

1/4 c. blueberries

1/4 c. sliced strawberries

1/4 sliced almonds, toasted

Heat a non-stick pan to medium-low heat.

Toast sliced almonds, and remove from pan when fragrant. While those are cooking, combine the berries, lemon zest and lemon juice in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Next, stir in the buttermilk, vegetable oil and almond extract with a whisk until combined. To the bowl, add the remaining dry ingredients, almonds, berries and honey. Stir until just combined. The batter will be lumpy. Do not over mix.

Now, pour the batter, a 1/3 cup at a time (I use a measuring cup for this.) to the pan. Tiny bubbles will appear on the surface of your pancakes as they cook. When the bubbles slow down, they’re ready to flip. The second side cooks faster than the first, so keep an eye on them. You’ll know they’re done when they start to set-up.

All that’s left to do now is stack them, spread with butter, drizzle with syrup and enjoy.