I have finally found it.....

Okay, I've been on a hunt for a certain recipe for years! As Erin and Mom can attest, we fell in love with these cornmeal pancakes we had years ago in Puerto Vallarta!!!! It seems like such a simple thing, but they were amazing and so memorable. Erin and I still talk about them from time to time, trying to figure out what it was that made them so good. It's been at least ten years ago and I have been adding cornmeal to various pancake recipes since then, but it is never the same. I've never had the same texture as the original no matter what I've done. It just so happened I bought this new cookbook last week (Pure Flavor) and tucked in the back in the very brief breakfast section was a recipe for Masa Flour Pancakes with Three-Citrus Honey Butter Syrup. I quickly scanned the description and recipe and it looked like this might be the closest thing to those amazing pancakes we had. The moment of truth came this morning when I tried them out (Wednesday is pancake day). I am so thrilled to say that my search for the recipe is finally over!! These were wonderful and just like I remember. Sela, Rollin, and Nina gobbled them up. The key ingredient is the masa flour which was easy to find. Enjoy!!! The citrus syrup makes it divine.

Masa Flour Pancakes

2 teaspoons unpacked light brown sugar
1 to 1 1/2 cup masa flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon salsa verde
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Three Citrus Honey Butter Syrup

Combine brown sugar, 1 cup of the flour, baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the salsa verde, egg, vanilla, and milk. Slowly add the melted butter.

Gently stir the liquid mixture in to the dry mixture until it is fully combined. The batter should be slightly thick. If it is not thick enough, add the remaining 1/2 cup flour (I did not need to add it). Let the batter sit for 5 minutes.

Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter for each pancake onto the griddle, leaving 2 inches between pancakes. When small bubbles form around the edges of the pancakes at about 1 1/2 minutes, flip. The pancakes should be golden brown on the bottom. Repeat and serve with Three-Citrus Honey Butter Syrup.

Three-Citrus Honey Butter Syrup

2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 stick butter
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
2 teaspoons grated lime zest
2 teaspoons grated grapefruit zest
1/2 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
1/2 cup honey

Dissolve cornstarch in water. Bring to boil hte other ingredients and add cornstarch. Mix until combined. Serve warm

* I did not make the syrup this way, but I used it more as a guide. I used about 1 tablespoon of butter, about 1/4 cup of honey, 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, zest of lemon, lime and orange, and the juice of an orange. It made just the right amount. And, it is a delicious syrup for these pancakes.