Does anyone remember pistachios having a bright red shell?

I do! I thought all pistachios looked like that when I was younger. According to Popular Science, all pistachios sold in the US were imported mainly from the Middle East until the 1970s. The harvesting methods used left blemishes on the shell so American importers used red vegetable dye to hide them. Now practically all pistachios sold in the US are grown in California and they are blemish free so no more red dye.

This breakfast is inspired by one of my favorite desserts, baklava. The pancakes are lightly sweetened with honey and are full of crushed pistachios. To add some crispness and more baklava flavor, chopped brown sugared wonton wrappers are sprinkled over the pancakes along with more crushed pistachios. Lastly, honey is poured over the top. No syrup needed here!

If you have a baklava loving mom in your life, this could be a great dish to serve for Mother's Day brunch. It provides the wow factor without having to spend hours in the kitchen.

Honey Pistachio Pancakes

Honey Pistachio Pancakes Inspired by Baklava

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

3/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter, separated
3/4 cup (94 grams) all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups pistachios
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
3 tablespoons honey + more for serving
6 wonton wrappers6 wonton wrappers
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

Instructions:

Place one cup of pistachios in a food processor. Process until there are some small chunks with mostly a sand like consistency (see picture above).
Process the remaining 1/2 cup until medium-large chunks remain. These will be for serving over the pancakes
Heat the milk and 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes.
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and the first batch of processed pistachios in a large bowl.
In a medium bowl, add the egg, vanilla, milk and butter mixture and honey. Whisk until combined.
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. It's okay if it is still lumpy. Over mixing will result in gummy like pancakes. If the batter is too thick, add some more milk a tablespoon at a time.
Spray a non stick pan with cooking spray or grease with a small amount of butter. I heat my pan over medium low heat and change it to low once I add the pancakes.
Add your batter in medium sized circles and flip once bubbles start to appear on the top of the pancake. Cook for an additional couple of minutes.
While the pancakes are cooking, prepare your wontons.
Melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter and stir in the dark brown sugar.
Brush both sides of the wonton wrappers with the mixture.
Place the wontons in a frying pan over medium heat and cook both sides until browned. When you take them off the heat, they will crisp up. Chop them up into small pieces.
To assemble your pancakes, add 1 -2 teaspoons of honey to the pancake and top with the crushed pistachios and wonton wrappers.