Breakfast for dinner is one of my favorite things.  Unfortunately I don’t get to indulge very often, as that is not one of my husband’s favorites.  My kids on the other hand, love it.  I am usually so trained to make pasta when my husband is out-of-town, I forget about making pancakes for dinner.  The next time he goes away, that is definitely on the menu…

So, when is it ok to have breakfast for dinner?  Well, I decided to test the limits just a bit.  I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit by one of my favorite chefs from this latest season of Top Chef.  I was really surprised when he was asked to leave, but then again, there were some amazing chefs this season.  Since this was one of Ed’s recipes, I knew it had to be good.  I decided to make these as a side dish to go with the smoked chicken we were having for dinner.  Little did I realize how many griddle cakes I was actually making.  Good thing they were amazing, because I had enough to feed a small village.  Fortunately my neighbors were able to benefit as well, and we still had enough for leftovers the next day.  I loved the combination of the sweet and savory with these corn cakes – the honey butter on top, I am drooling just thinking about them now.  I didn’t have any green onions in the house, so I substituted with chives instead, which worked out just fine.  The other thing I did was to brush the butter onto a non-stick pan, so I didn’t use as much.

So, if you are cooking for someone who is not keen on breakfast for dinner – I have found the secret – and you will definitely have leftovers for breakfast the next morning…

Ingredients

Preparation

Orange-Honey Butter

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in honey and orange zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm.

Corn Cakes

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Spoon milk solids from surface and discard. Pour clarified butter into a small glass measuring cup (there should be about 1/4 cup), leaving any browned bits behind; set aside. (Alternatively, use 1/4 cup grapeseed oil.)

Cook sausage in a 10″ cast-iron skillet or other large heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking up into small pieces with the back of a spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a small bowl. Add corn to same skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until browned, 5–6 minutes. Transfer corn to bowl with sausage and let cool. Wipe skillet clean and reserve.

Whisk cornmeal and next 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk and eggs in a large bowl; add dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Fold in sausage, corn, and scallions.

Heat 1 Tbsp. clarified butter in reserved skillet; working in batches and adding butter as needed between batches, add batter to pan by tablespoonfuls. Cook until cakes are crisp and golden brown, 2–3 minutes. Turn cakes over and cook until browned, 1–2 minutes longer. Transfer cakes to paper towels to drain. Serve warm drizzled with orange-honey butter.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Corn Griddle Cakes with Sausage