Vanilla Buttermilk Pancakes with Pineapple Rum Sauce

Last year around this time I was dreaming of our trip to Hawaii, reading every guide book that I could get my hands on, and perusing Pinterest like a crazy woman, so that I could discover everything Oahu has to offer to the visitor who doesn’t want to take part in the same boring old tourist itinerary that most vacationers choose. B.O.B. Bob doesn’t get many long vacations, so the chances of our ever returning to Hawaii are slim, which meant packing as much as possible into our trip was an absolute necessity. We managed to cover the island several times by ourselves and with friends, and managed to do a wide range of different activities. The foods that we tried while there were big highlights of our trip, and there were several meals that I will never be able to forget.

This year, I’m dreaming that I could be back in Hawaii, enjoying the ever-present warm breezes, while being awestruck by the massive amount of absolutely gorgeous flowers that can be found in every nook and cranny of the island. It would have been nice to spend at least a day snorkeling, but there just never seemed to be enough time. It’s just not possible to relive that expensive and looooonnnnnggggg trip on a regular basis, so sometimes a girl has to improvise and bring the flavor of the islands to her. This Pineapple Rum Sauce brings the memories of our many island experiences back. If you were to smother it on top of poi, it might even be capable of making it taste somewhat edible, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I suggest staying as far away from the poi as possible; it’s absolutely disgusting.

Ingredients:

Vanilla Buttermilk Pancakes:

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 Eggs
2 Cups Buttermilk
1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, Melted (Additional Butter for Cooking the Pancakes)
2 Tablespoons Vanilla

Pineapple Rum Sauce:

1 Cup Fresh Pineapple, Very Finely Diced
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
2 Tablespoons Spiced Rum
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, whisk until just incorporated, and then set aside for 15 minutes.
Combine all of the pineapple rum sauce ingredients in a small saucepan; heat over medium-high heat for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After the pancake batter has sat for 15 minutes, heat a large skillet or griddle on medium heat.
Add a bit of butter to the hot skillet or griddle.
Pour a 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of batter onto the skillet or griddle at a time.
Cook pancakes until bubbles are visible over the entire pancake, and then flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
Repeat with the remaining batter.

Suggestions:

There should be enough batter to make approximately 10 pancakes.
Do not over mix the batter; your pancakes will lose their light and fluffy texture.
This pancake batter will be very thick.
The length of time required for each pancake may differ depending on the size you make them and the heat of your pan.
Place the pancakes on a large serving platter in a warm oven to keep them from getting cold.
Serve with warm maple syrup.