Buttermilk Pancakes with Caramelized White Chocolate and Gluhwein Jam
We all love pancakes, right?! (I yet have to meet someone who doesn't like them), so why not take a brunch classic and make it a bit more, grown up. Perhaps it can even double as dessert after dinner (breakfast for dinner? Yep, been there done that ... many times). This recipe is a bit of that; pancakes for grown ups with a bit of booze and a ton of flavour. Before you jump into the recipe, I know you may be thinking "wait ... caramelized white chocolate? What?" I know! Sounds odd, but it's so so SO good. Think of dulce de leche but made out of chocolate *head explodes*. Caramelized white chocolate taste sweet and buttery, like brown butter actually - it's spreadable when warm, and when cold it can be shaved onto almost any dessert. Nothing screams more of fall like this tasty chocolate hack - trust me, after you try it you'll be hooked. 
Since we have a lot of sweetness going on with the chocolate (pancakes are neutral by the way, kept the sugar super low in the recipe) the gluhwein jam comes into place to kick in a punch of citrus, wine and spices. Gluhwein is usually drank in winter, but heck, why not do it now, and why not making it into a jam!? Right?! Genius (thank you :P ). 
Since this is a treat for adults, I think it's totally fine to have a glass of wine with it. People have bubbles with brunch, so why not a glass of red? And if you're doing this for dinner, then even better! For this recipe I used Kendall Jackson Vintner's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, which is quite bold and will stand to the richness of the pancakes (I used some of it for the jam too). Okay, time to get cozy in the kitchen! 
- 250g white chocolate chips or if in a block, shaved.
- *FOR THE GLUHWEIN JAM*
- 3 oranges, peeled, sliced
- 2 star anise seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 clove
- Pinch of all spice (or 2 whole ones)
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup orange marmalade (or strawberry)
- *FOR THE PANCAKES*
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicon pad, place the white chocolate on it and bake for 10 minutes. Pull tray out and you'll see the chocolate has melted, spread it evenly with a spatula and out it back in the oven. Reduce the temperature to 300 and bake for another 10 minutes, then mix the chocolate and spread again - careful! It'll be hot. NOTE: Don't worry if it looks lumpy and weird, it's all good! Bake it one more time for 5 minutes until nice and caramelized. Mix any lumps and work the chocolate on the tray by spreading and "kneading" until it comes together. Place caramelized chocolate in a jar and keep close to the stove so it doesn't harden.
- Now make the jam: place all ingredients in a heavy bottom pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer for another 15-20 minutes until liquid has reduced and thickened. Remove from the heat and fish out any big chunks of spices. Place in a jar.
- Time to make the pancakes: Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl, and set aside. In a separate bowl mix all the liquid ingredients, including the melted butter, then make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the liquid mix into it, mix until smooth.
- Heat up a pan and add a bit of butter or oil then spread it evenly using a napkin (careful not to burn yourself). Once the pan is smoking, ladle the pancake mix into the pan. Make sure you have the pan over medium-low heat. Once the top of the pancake starts to bubble, turn it and finish cooking. Place cooked pancakes on a plate.
- To serve: get a warm pancake, spread some of the caramelized white chocolate, top with gluhweim jam and add extra orange or fruit if you wish.
PS. If you need more tips on caramelized white chocolate, check out David Lebovitz' site where he has a great post about it! Enjoy! Basic pancake recipe from Food52
