LEMON COCONUT PANCAKES WITH BERRY COMPOTE AND MASCARPONE CREAMfeatured

I realize Valentine’s Day is a phony holiday and sort of ridiculous by nature. Making people literally prove their love or put some kind of a label on their relationship all because Hallmark wants to sell some cards and crappy chocolate. I get it. Not cool. But I don’t give a rip. I still love it. Maybe it all stems back to elementary school when I would wait ALL DAY just to put my Valentines in everyone’s paper sack. It was like watching paint dry waiting until the afternoon to do the Valentine exchange. So painful. But I loved everything about the holiday; the crafting, the picking out the candy to go in the valentines, finding the best card in the box to give to the boy I had a crush on… Ahhh.. take me back….

I still love the holiday. And it has nothing to do with being in a relationship or not. It never hurts when that’s the case… but it’s not the reason for all the love… I like the fact that we have a day designated to tell all the people in our lives that we love them. So what if it’s a made up holiday and in reality we should be doing this all the time. Who cares. Telling people you love them under any circumstance is rad and taking the time to write them a card or give them a treat to remind them how much you love them is awesome and feels like a million bucks. I also happen to still love making construction paper valentines and eating candy… so there’s that too…

And if you want to up your Valentine’s Day game, go with breakfast in bed since it’s on a Sunday. Whether it’s your spouse, kids, girlfriend, boyfriend, friend, or whoever, surprise them with these fancy pants (but deceptively easy) pancakes. Because if you are choosing to wake up next to them or in the same house as them, then they deserve some breakfast love from you. But just don’t forget the card.

*Note: I get my coconut cream from Trader Joes. It comes in a can, so don’t go searching next to the whipped cream in the dairy case. If you don’t have a Trader Joes handy, look in the Asian section of your market.  You can also find the coconut milk in the Asian section of your market, which also comes in a can. Not to be confused with the coconut milk you get in the box. So confusing I know.

Recipe: Lemon Coconut Pancakes with Berry Compote and Mascarpone Cream  |  Soundtrack: Twin Forks

• PANCAKES
• 3/4 cup coconut cream* (See above note)
• 1 can coconut milk* (See above note)
• 4 tbsp white vinegar
• 3 eggs
• 6 tbsp melted butter
• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup coconut
• 8 tbsp sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• Zest of 2 large lemons
• MASCARPONE CREAM
• 8 oz mascarpone
• 7.5-8 oz creme fraiche
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp honey
• BERRY COMPOTE
• 2 cups berries (mix raspberries, blueberries and strawberries)
• Juice 2 small/medium oranges or 1 large orange
• 2 tbsp sugar

To make the pancakes:
In a mixing bowl, combine the coconut cream, coconut milk and vinegar together. Add the eggs and the melted butter. Whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, coconut, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add this dry mixture to the wet mixture. Whisk to combine. Add in the lemon zest. Whisk until most lumps are gone. Before you cook the pancakes, make the Mascarpone Cream and the Berry Compote.

To make the Mascarpone Cream:
In a small mixing bowl, combine the mascarpone, creme fraiche, vanilla and honey. Stir until completely combined. Set aside.

To make the Berry Compote:
In a medium pot, add the berries, orange juice and sugar. Place on the stove top over medium heat. Stir until the mixture starts to boil (it doesn’t take long). Turn the heat down to medium-low. Let boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until the liquid has reduced in half. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Warm up a griddle or a frying pan over medium heat. Add oil, butter or nonstick spray. Add about 1/4 cup of batter to the pan. Cook until golden brown on both sides.

To serve:
It’s pretty simple: pancakes on bottom, add a generous scoop of the cream, pile on the berries and then top with more coconut and honey. Repeat, repeat, repeat until you have to undo the button on your pants and take a nap.

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