Recipe: Fluffy pancakes with strawberry syrup

FLUFFY PANCAKES WITH STRAWBERRY SYRUP
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the syrup:
6 cups sliced strawberries
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons grated orange zest 1/4 cup fresh orange juice

For the pancakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup Champagne
1 cup dairy or nondairy milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Cooking spray or additional unsalted butter, for greasing the pan

Syrup instructions:
In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine the strawberries, sugar, honey, orange zest, and orange juice. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the strawberries have broken down and the mixture has thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Remove the syrup from the heat and set aside to cool while you make the pancakes. (The syrup will thicken considerably as it cools.)

Pancake instructions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the Champagne, milk, egg, and melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined but still lumpy. Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat, then grease it with cooking spray or butter. Add 1/4-cup portions of the batter to the skillet to form pancakes. Once bubbles form all over the surface of each pancake, flip them once and continue cooking until they are cooked through, about 4 minutes in total. Repeat with the remaining batter. Transfer the pancakes to a plate and top with the strawberry syrup.

From Kelly Seyei’s “The Secret Ingredient Cookbook: 125 Family-Friendly Recipes with Surprisingly Tasty Twists”