I love brunch, in fact I would probably argue that it is my favorite meal. There is something so decadent about it, maybe it's just that I enjoy an excuse to have champagne before cocktail hour? I've always enjoyed the routine of Sundays, a routine that when left up to me includes new york times crosswords, movies at Angelica Theater with Alex, and of course brunch. When I lived in New York I was spoiled. The city that never sleeps understands the importance of of Sundays, a day of rest, a day to relax and garner your strength for the upcoming hectic week that was sure to be waiting. Not only did the city appreciate this tradition, but my friends did as well. Whether I was off to Brooklyn to have brunch with Susannah, Michael, and Ariel at
Egg or in my own neighborhood to dine with my roommate Varun at
Veselka or Taj at
Freeman's Alley, I always enjoyed visiting, eating, and taking a break to spend time with friends. Since I've moved from New York I miss those Brunches. One friend in particular shared my special passion for brunch, and we together would dash about New York looking for new places to find culinary delights. Leslie and I have been to many many brunches together and when I go back to visit it is still one of the things I most look forward to. While we've had many a good meal at
Prune,
Max and
Cafe Orlin my favorite brunches are always at
Public. You know you have found a good restaurant when every single thing on the menu sounds good and deciding what to get is tantamount to picking a college course of study. While I've loved everything I've ever tried it is their coconut pancakes with fresh ricotta, mango salad and ginger-lime syrup that keeps me coming back time and again. Seriously, could there be a more delicious combination? I've scoured the web looking for their recipe but nothing is quite the same. These coconut pancakes from Smitten Kitchen come pretty close, I just top mine with store bought Ricotta and chopped up mangoes. The ginger lime syrup it pretty much impossible to recreate, but a close approximation can be reached from taking the juice of one lime (and grating the peel if you desire a stronger flavor), adding it to finely minced fresh ginger, and 2 tablespoons of honey. I am found of sweet syrups so you can add or subtract the honey as you see fit. Hope you enjoy!(p.s. the last picture of Public is mine, but I found the other pictures on there website)
Look for shredded coconut where each thread is thin and at least 1/2-inch long. Not dusty or fleck-like. If you make the batter the night before, the batter will thicken up quite a bit. Give it a stir, but don't worry about it beyond that. Drop little scoops onto the griddle - they will flatten out when they come into contact with the heat. They go from golden to burnt in a flash, so stay attentive. I prefer to use whole wheat pastry flour for this recipe but you can substitute whatever you have on hand - all-purpose flour, or regular pastry flour. Lemon zest might be a great addition, as would ginger, and/or toasted, chopped macadamia nuts.
1 14-ounce can of coconut milk
2 tablespoons honey (or agave nectar)
1 /4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose or regular pastry flour)
3 cups unsweetened dried shredded coconut
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 large eggs. whisked in a medium bowl
1/4 cup natural cane sugar or brown sugar
In a small saucepan heat the coconut milk and honey, bring barely to a simmer.
In a separate large bowl combine the flour, coconut, salt and baking powder. Stir the coconut milk into the flour mixture.
Whisk about 1/3 cup of the coconut mixture into the eggs. Now quickly mix the eggs back into the large bowl of coconut batter. Stir until well combined. You can do this the night before if you like.
Heat your favorite non-stick (or very well-seasoned) skillet, pan, or griddle to medium-hot and brush it with a bit of butter. Test for the right temperature. If a drop of water dropped onto the pan starts to dance, you are in the ballpark. Drop a heaping tablespoon into the skillet, sprinkle the top with a bit of brown sugar. Wait until the pancake bottom is deep golden in color, then flip with a spatula and cook the other side until golden and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Makes dozens of silver dollar sized pancakes, or a dozen or so larger ones.
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