Wow, sorry for disappearing like that! The Fuji Foodie Train was completely derailed this week by sickness. The Fujilings’ pediatrician tells me that this cold and flu season has been particularly nasty, and I believe it! Squirrel already had a cold about a month ago, and then about a week ago came down with a lovely triple combo of a cold, sinus infection, and pink eye. Then she was sweet enough to share the sinus infection with yours truly. Needless to say, I have not been cooking, nor eating much for that matter. But everyone is starting to feel more like themselves, so on with the show! On Tuesday I meant to share with you one of my favorite breakfast dishes from my childhood: puff pancake. I gave you a hint with the tag line of “Mr. Fuji becomes Puff Daddy.” I know there was a thought process in there somewhere that was going to wittily lead me from my explanation of puff pancake to Mr. Fuji’s name becoming Puff Daddy, but for the life of me I cannot remember! Ha. So I leave you to use your imagination. My mom used to make this when I was growing up and it was always something I looked forward to. She’d stick the pan in the preheating oven to melt a cube of butter, and blend up the rest of the ingredients in the blender.
Then she’d pour the mixture into the hot butter, and throw the pan back into the oven.
Part of the fun of making puff pancake, if you have kids (or if you’re like me…I’m easily entertained), is watching it puff up in the oven.
When it came out of the oven she would douse it with powdered sugar and cut it into squares and then drizzle diluted homemade strawberry or raspberry jam over it.
To me this was breakfast nirvana. The pancake has a custard-like consistency and is nice and filling.
I hope it’s something that my Fujilings will look forward to having as much as I did. It looks like so far we’re on the right track…
I think that’s a happy Squirrel, don’t you?

Puff Pancake
Makes approximately 12 servings (9×13-inch pan)

1/2 cup (1 cube) butter
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
6 large eggs
pinch of salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
powdered sugar, for dusting when finished
strawberry/raspberry jam, to use as topping

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Melt butter in a 9×13-inch pan (I do this by putting the pan with the cube of butter in it in the oven while the oven is preheating).

3. In a blender, combine flour, milk, eggs, salt, sugar, and orange juice concentrate.

4. Pour over hot butter in pan. Bake for about 20 minutes until brown and puffy.

5. Sift powdered sugar over the top after removing from oven.

6. Dilute jam with a bit of warm water until obtaining a syrup-like consistency. Serve pancake warm with jam syrup drizzled over the top.