weekend brunch is the best. things like waffles, french toast, omelettes, hash browns give this right amount of energy/guilty pleasure to start the day fresh. making them so often, i enjoy twisting the recipes without losing the core of it.

i've been so fond of the easy, fluffy, delicate sour cream pancakes recipe by edna mae. i usually have it with crème fraîche and mixed berry sauce on the side. it always gets very high approval rate by my deary roommates. but this morning i heard my pancakes calling for something different - something still fluffy, not so heavy, and with a good balance of sweet and savory.

so my fridge came with a genius allium answer - with a bunch of scallions and shallots. as i followed the lead, adventured and practiced, my stomach became very, very happy!

scallion and sesame sour cream pancakes

inspired by edna mae's sour cream pancakes

makes two servings. six to eight pancakes for each.

ingredients

sour cream - 1 cup

all purpose flour - 7 tbsp

granulated sugar - 3/4 tbsp

light brown sugar - 1/4 tbsp

salt - 1 tsp

large eggs - 2

scallion, chopped - 1 stalk

toasted white sesame seeds, crushed a bit to release the oil - 2 tsp

butter - enough to grease the griddle

step by step

in a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt.

stir in sour cream until the batter gets smooth. it's okay to see a bit of lumps.

whisk in the eggs to the mixture gently, one at a time. then sprinkle the chopped scallion and sesame seeds and whisk a bit more.

butter the griddle, and turn the heat to medium. until the surface begins to bubble, pour in the mixture, about 1/8 cup each time. then turn the heat to low.

sprinkle more sesame seeds to the first side, if desired.

when the first side starts to bubble, flip the pancakes and let it cook for another minute.

repeat with the rest of the batter.

serve the pancakes in stack, topped with scallion cream cheese, sprinkled with more scallion slices and sesame seeds, and drizzled with honey.

chili flakes or sauteed mushroom would add another layer of flavor to the dish.

if you desire protein, sprinkle some bacon chunks on it. 

scallion cream cheese

step by step

whisk together all the ingredients

generously scoop on top of the pancakes

great add-on for bagels, smoked salmon open-faced sandwich

ingredients

whipped cream cheese - 1/2 cup

scallion, chopped - 1/2 stalk

salt and pepper, to taste

crispy shallot slices

from david tanis's crispy fried shallots

makes 1/2 cup

step by step

put oil in a saucepan. add shallots to it and turn to medium heat.

stir occasionally for about 15 minutes, or until the slices become brown. (turn down heat if they turn brown too quickly)

transfer the shallot slices to sieve and let drain completely.

put the shallots on paper towels. they will become crispy as they cool.

sprinkle salt on if desired.

they can be made hours/a day ahead.

ingredients

vegetable oil - 1/2 cup

(i use coconut oil)

shallot bulb, peeled and sliced - 1 bulb

salt, if desired