Buttermilk Pancakes with Raspberry Plum Sauce and Fresh Grape Juice!

I've been craving pancakes with raspberry sauce for several days now and last night I finally decided that it was time to give in. Because technically, I'm cheating a bit with this dish I decided to use the plums (from my bin) with the raspberries (purchased) so that it would qualify for my blog!!

I started off by making the grape juice because it actually has to sit for several hours.  After rinsing and removing the purple grapes from the vines, they were placed into a large stock pot and mashed with a potato masher. I brought the grapes to a low simmer and allowed them to cook for 10 minutes, mashing again after 5 minutes to make sure that all of the juice was released. The grape mixture was then strained through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl and set aside in the refrigerator for a few hours to allow the sediment to settle on the bottom of the bowl.  To finish the juice, I strained it a second time and poured into a glass.

For the raspberry plum sauce, I peeled and chopped five plums and placed them into a saucepan with a cup of fresh raspberries and 1/2 a cup of sugar.  This was brought to a simmer over medium heat and allowed to cook until thickened, stirring constantly to avoid the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan. It took about 10 minutes to cook and was set aside to cool a bit.

I also made fresh whipped cream by adding one cup of heavy whipping cream and 2 tablespoons of sugar to a bowl and mixing on medium speed just until stiff peaks formed.

Then it was time to make the pancakes! I started off by whisking two eggs until frothy and adding 2 cups of sifted all purpose flour, 2 cups of buttermilk,1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 4 tablespoons of melted butter. This was stirred until fully combined and all lumps gone.

I heated a griddle pan and poured half a cup of batter onto the pan, cooking until brown on each side.

To assemble, I placed the pancakes on a plate, topped with a (large) spoonful of the whipped cream and the raspberry plum sauce and drizzled with maple syrup. I garnished with a few fresh raspberries (just because I love raspberries and you can never have too many!).

Had I not had an insane craving for pancakes I probably would not have made this because it was just for myself, however I am SO glad that I did!  In fact, this turned out so good that I even ate it for breakfast today. (I can't remember the last time I had breakfast on a weekday, but it was literally the reason I got out of bed this morning!)

The juice also turned out amazing! I only wish that I had more grapes so that I could make it again tonight.