Everybody wants a little bit of that sweet, sweet rosemary action.

this rosemary was more than happy to sacrifice itself to the syrup.

cornmeal pancakes with rosemary syrup, caramelized pear-date compote, candied rosemary
and rosemary-infused mascarpone.

Without even a touch of bashfulness, Mark J. and Jennifer invited themselves over for a nice brunch at my parents' house in Seattle. They also volunteered me to cook the nice brunch. True, it was forward of them; but I was happy to oblige two of my dearest, oldest friends, and I wanted to make them a breakfast as dear as them. I'd seen a recipe in Gourmet a few months ago for candied rosemary with cornmeal pound cake, and these flavors seemed just right for a winter breakfast, re-imagined as cornmeal pancakes with rosemary syrup, rosemary-infused mascarpone and pear-date compote. I was a bit nervous about how strong the rosemary would be - and how my Dad would deal with what is clearly not your typical pancake fare - but was pleased to find the rosemary to be quite well-behaved. While the rosemary makes an appearance in every element of the meal, she maintains a delicate and bright presence throughout and never overpowers.

candied rosemary, deftly made right in the rosemary syrup!

Mark C. called from Houston mid-pancake flip. Meekly, he intoned,

"Oh. Pancakes. That sounds really special. Is there a plate for me?"

I knew I'd have to make him his own pancakes the absolute second he arrived in Chicago. And he rewarded me richly for my efforts - just see these beautiful pictures, my kind readers (and scroll down a few posts to see the picture he took of my granola)!

You'll be rewarded too, if you make these pancakes. There are a few steps to them, but they're quite simple to make, and everyone will be fabulously impressed. Even Dad Meyer liked them!

this is no ordinary mascarpone - she has cleverly infused herself with rosemary syrup.

Cornmeal pancakes with rosemary syrup, caramelized pear-date compote and rosemary-infused mascarpone

Ingredients:
for the rosemary syrup, candied rosemary and rosemary-infused mascarpone
1 c. water
1/2 c. sugar
8 branches of rosemary
About 1 c. bakers sugar, for candying
8 oz. mascarpone

for the pear-date compote
2 red pears, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 comice pear, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
4 tbs butter
3 tbs sugar reserved from the candied rosemary
freshly ground nutmeg
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1/4 cup deglazing liquid: apple or pear hard cider; apple or pear cider; a sweet white wine; apple juice, etc.
8 dates, quartered length-wise

for the cornmeal pancakes
(this pancake recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit)
1 c. + 2 tbs unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/3 c. fine yellow cornmeal
2 tbs sugar reserved from the candied rosemary
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 c. creme fraiche, sour cream or whole milk yogurt
1 c. whole milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Make the rosemary syrup, et. al.: In a small saucepan, bring water and sugar to boil over medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, add rosemary sprigs and simmer, stirring occasionally for four minutes.

Remove the rosemary from the syrup and let rest for a minute or two on a paper towel-lined plate. Pour bakers sugar into a shallow bowl and drag each rosemary branch back and forth through the sugar, making sure the branch is thoroughly coated and tapping off any excess. Let sit on paper towel for at least one hour.

Allow the rosemary syrup to cool slightly, and then whip two tablespoons into the mascarpone with a fork. Refrigerate mascarpone until ready to serve.

Make the pear compote: In a stainless steel skillet, melt the butter over medium heat until it is just barely beginning to brown. Sprinkle in 2 tbs. of the remaining bakers sugar that you used to candy the rosemary, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the pears, spreading them in an even layer across the bottom of the skillet. Place the rosemary sprig on the top of the pears; as the pears cook, they'll steam the rosemary a bit and the rosemary in turn will drift gently into the pears. Now comes the tricky part - you'll have to be very very patient with the pears, letting them take their sweet, caramelized time. They'll only do this properly if you let them be, not stirring for about 10 or 15 minutes, a bit like a Tarte Tatin. After you're sure they're brown and caramelized, remove the rosemary and flip the pears. Replace the rosemary and caramelize the pears for an additional 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle generously with fresh nutmeg. Raise the heat to medium and pour on your deglazing liquid, scraping up any bits that might have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the liquid is reduced and syrupy. Stir in the dates, remove the rosemary and remove from heat.

Make the pancakes:
Sift the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk eggs in a medium bowl; whisk in creme fraiche/sour cream/yogurt, milk, oil and vanilla. Gradually add liquid to dry ingredients, whisking just until blended.

Heat two cast iron skillets (what? you don't have two cast iron skillets? and you call this a kitchen!) over medium heat; they are hot enough when you flick a drop or two of water on them and they skittle across the surface before evaporating. Pour the batter by 1/4 cupfuls into the pans. Cook until bubbles pop in the batter, about 4 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until second side browns, about 2 minutes. Keep warm in a 200 degree oven until you've finished all the pancakes. Makes about 12 4-inch pancakes.

Assemble the plates:
Just before serving, reheat the rosemary syrup and the pear compote until just hot. Pour about an 1/8th of a cup of syrup on each of four plates, and then arrange three pancakes on each plate. Lovingly top with compote, a dollop of mascarpone and a graceful drizzle of a bit more syrup. Finally, drape a rosemary sprig here or there, and serve, to the delight of Marks everywhere.

oh, what a loss: I forgot the dates when I made it for mark c., which seems funny since I "date" him. we, the pears and the rosemary deeply regretted this date-oversight.