Reefer Pancakes

In the world's most quotable movie behind Monty Python, Superbad, the special features showcased a sketch in which a few funny celebs pretended to be passengers in a cop car ranting about what came to their improv mind. Justin Long of Live Free Die Hard fame was one of them and rambled on about something to do with reefer pancakes. It stuck with me (and evidently my sisters too; we text each other the phrase quite often and it hasn’t stopped being funny yet.) In my recipe I substitute hemp seeds for the real deal, but feel free to be creative.

Chef Michael Smith’s chase phrase lately has been “cooking… without a recipe.” I like to take that one step further and do some baking without a recipe now and again. No pun intended if you get the reefer reference. I’ve always believed strongly in free-flow baking, never over-measuring or focusing too much on one cook book’s recommendation. It has been drilled into my head the same as it has yours “cooking is an art, baking is a science” but I haven’t touched baking soda to a teaspoon in five years and none of my treats end up in the trash. The key is to have an idea of proportions and ratios, and then go from there. If I think honey would taste better than brown sugar in a brownie recipe I literally make the switch with no hesitation.
Here is how I make reefer pancakes.
In a bowl mix together

Between 1 and 2 cups of any flour
A few spoonfuls of baking powder
Sugar – maybe, maybe not
Pinch of salt
Between 1 – 2 cups of milk, probably more than the quantity of flour or else the batter will be runny and more crepe-likely
An egg
A bit of oil
A handful of hemp seeds
Any other stir ins: spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice), cocoa powder, fruit…

Then I do the obvious and fry them in a pan.
This morning I topped them with a sauce I made by simmering a squirt of honey, a handful of flour and a huge container of freshly picked black raspberries from the garden behind where I work. It was a much deserved treat as my arms are still full of scratches and the customers are starting to think I’ve been attacked by a dog.
When you can learn to whip things together on a whim, with no concern for correctness, I believe you empower yourself to be a healthier eater and one that is more free to eat ethically based on your own individual opinions.  If I believe avocado is a healthy fat and I am not worried about the long distance it must travel to be eaten in Canada, I could mash that baby into my pancake recipe without worry. Perhaps I would make it fully savory and grate sweet potato in. If I am strictly off of wheat, I would use spelt flour – who cares? For that matter make the recipe entirely with hemp flour. And hemp milk. It’s your choice – see how that works?