Banana Cinnamon Pancakes with Maple-Rum Syrup

     Lately, I've been waking up quite early in the mornings.  Just habit; all those years getting family out the door for school and work, I suppose.  I've been heading down to my kitchen while it's still dark outdoors.  When I open the front door to grab the newspaper, I'm quickly reminded that it's no longer summer.  I need to pull on a warm sweater before I even think about making an espresso.  It's fall... my favorite time of year!
     I feel like cooking again, and I'm more interested in breakfast now that it's cooler.  Yogurt with granola is usually what I ate first thing in the summer, but now, I'm starting to crave heartier fare.  This morning it happened to be Banana Cinnamon Pancakes with Maple-Rum Syrup.  When I wasn't looking, someone threw in a few chocolate chips; a sprinkling of toasted walnuts would also be good.

                                 with Maple-Rum Syrup
            recipe by Sheila Lukins, adapted | from All Around The World Cookbook

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup ripe mashed bananas
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• Maple-Rum syrup, recipe follows:
1.  Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
2.  In a separate medium-size bowl, combine the milk, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of the oil, the egg, and the vanilla.  Whisk until smooth.  Add the liquid mixture to the dry and mix until the batter is almost smooth.  Some lumps should remain.  Stir this into the dry ingredients, then fold in the mashed bananas.  Cover the pancake batter with a sheet of waxed paper and set aside for about 20 minutes. 
3.  In a small custard cup, mix together the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil and the melted tablespoon butter.  Use this to brush the skillet when cooking the pancakes.
4.  Using a cast iron or non-stick skillet, heat over medium heat, and brush the base of the skillet with the oil-butter mixture.  Using a 1/4-cup measure, ladle batter onto the heated skillet.  After small bubbles form, flip and brown the other side.  Serve with Maple-Rum syrup. (recipe below).

MAPLE-RUM SYRUP

• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons dark rum
1.  Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and heat in the microwave until butter is melted, or place ingredients in a small saucepan and heat on the stove.  Serve warm, over the Banana Cinnamon Pancakes.

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