I remember the cooks and food of my childhood with great affection. I was surrounded by women who loved to cook and knew their way around the kitchen. Back in the day, they did more with a wooden spoon than I can do today, despite an arsenal of appliances and a well-equipped kitchen. Fortunately, they also loved to teach and once they realized I came from a home where food was viewed as a necessary evil, they took me under their collective wings and taught me how to cook. I have only a handful of memories from my mother's kitchen. I remember tearing bread for turkey stuffing and baking apples in the fall, but what first comes to mind is making breakfast with my father on Sunday morning. My daddy's specialty was scrambled eggs served in fried bologna cups that were topped with ketchup and hot sauce. I can hear you groaning. I have friends who, to this day, insist that I married young to escape that Sunday ritual. I say nothing!  I'm guessing that most men have a dish they call their own and like to cook for special or ceremonial occasions. Bob, my Silver Fox, loves to make holiday breakfasts and his specialty is pancakes. Not just any pancakes, mind you. He likes to experiment and my job is to find new recipes for him to try. The recipe I'm featuring today is his latest experiment. The brown butter is the star here. The pancakes are fine, but they are very bland and if you come to the table expecting  fall flavors, you're bound to be disappointed.  The taste of pumpkin is barely perceptible and the recipe is saved only because the pancakes are topped with a spiced brown butter. Fortunately, the pancakes are easy to make and they look quite lovely on a plate.  If you are looking for a new breakfast dish you might want to give this recipe a try.  They pancakes need to cook a bit longer than usual or they'll be gummy and you might want to add some cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter to perk up the flavor. Here's how they are made.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Brown Butter

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Brown Butter

1/2 cup butter, cubed

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Pancakes

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1-1/3 cups milk

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

Directions:

1) To make cinnamon brown butter: Place butter in a small heavy saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Add maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg. Remove from heat. Stir in pecans.

2) To make pancakes: Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, pumpkin and cheese. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a greased hot griddle, turning when bubbles form on top. Cook until second side is golden brown. Serve with brown butter. Yield: 14 pancakes and 1 cup butter.

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