Crackling Pancake With Caramel Clustered Blueberries

Description

1. Make the balsamic honey: In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the vinegar until it’s reduced by half. Turn off the heat. Fold in the brown sugar and salt until fully melted, then mix in the honey until smooth. The balsamic honey can be made a couple of days ahead of time and stored at room temperature.
2. Make the blueberries: Wash and gently pat the blueberries dry, then put them into a zip-top bag with a paper towel and flash-freeze them for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until frozen. This can be done the night before.
3. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar and water. Swirl gently but do not stir, letting the sugar cook until fully melted with a deep amber-caramel color.
4. Now turn off the heat and add the frozen blueberries all at once. Immediately fold them into the caramel with a large spoon, only for a few seconds, then gently dump everything onto a plate. The caramel will be hardened by the cold blueberries, holding everything in a messy cluster. Transfer the plate to the freezer until needed.
5. Make the crackling pancake: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a measuring cup, mix the buttermilk, oil, and egg until smooth. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, then stir gently together with a large fork until a thick batter forms. Small lumps are totally okay.
6. This recipe is just perfect for an 8- or 9-inch (20- to 23-cm) cast-iron or deep nonstick skillet. Anything too small or too big will result in a pancake that is too thick or too thin and changes in cooking time. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in the skillet over medium-high heat until bubbly. Pour the batter into the skillet and evenly distribute it around the skillet with a spatula. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cover the skillet with a lid. I prefer a glass one so I can see what’s going on inside, but any lid will do. Now let it cook for 8 minutes without peeking. We need the steam to be trapped inside the skillet in order for the pancake to cook through. After 8 minutes, check to see if the edges and the bottom are deeply caramelized, forming a golden brown, crusty surface. If not, continue to cook with the lid on for another couple of minutes. Flip the pancake with a wide spatula, then pour the remaining melted butter around the edges. Gently lift the edges and tilt the skillet to let the butter run underneath the pancake, then cook with the lid off for 5 minutes, or until the second side is golden brown as well.
7. Serve the pancake with caramel-clustered blueberries straight out of the freezer. Drizzle the balsamic honey syrup over the top and eat immediately.