Pear and Fig Whole Wheat Pancakes

Fresh Ontario pears and sweet dried Calimyrna figs lend these crêpe-style whole-wheat pancakes an elegance that entirely belies the small effort that goes into making them. Adapted from a Readers Digest recipe for those of us who think more in cups and spoons than milliliters and grams, they'll add instant warmth to your kitchen and breakfast table.

Pear and Fig Whole Wheat Pancakes

Pancakes:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cups whole fat milk
1 large egg
butter for greasing

Filling:

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds Bartlett or other pears, cored and chopped
4 ounces dried Calimyrna figs, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
zest from 1/2 orange

Sift the flour, sugar and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Make a small well, and pour in the milk with the egg. Stir until smooth, then let the batter rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 200°. Lightly grease a small 7- or 8-inch non-stick frying pan and heat over medium heat. When hot, pour in a half cup of the batter and tilt the pan to cover the bottom. Cook for 30-45 seconds until the surface is mostly dry and the underside is a golden brown. Flip the pancake and cook the other side for another 30 seconds or until it is set.

Transfer the pancake to a sheet of parchment paper. Repeat the process until four pancakes have been cooked, separating each cooked pancake with another sheet of parchment paper. Wrap the finished stack of pancakes and parchment paper in foil and keep warm in the preheated oven.

Meanwhile, melt the butter for the filling in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the pears and figs, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes or until the pears are tender when pierced with a fork. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves and orange zest and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Remove the pancakes from the oven and lay out on separate plates. Spoon a quarter of the filling mixture into the center of each pancake and fold over in the middle. Serve hot, with warm maple syrup or fresh whipped cream on top.

Other breakfast pancake ideas you might like:

Baked whole wheat crêpes with apple blueberry sauce

Baked blueberry and peach pancakes

Baked strawberry pancakes

Spiced pumpkin waffles

Banana oatmeal pancakes

Cottage cheese blintzes and peach-plum compote