Blueberry Pancakes with Pear Compote and Cardamom Whipped Cream

This is my last week before I leave the fair city of Toronto for greener pastures. I know, I already went through this whole goodbye Toronto thing last April. But that was a temporary departure. This time it's for good. 

Leaving a fulfilling job in a city that I love is no easy task. But a few months ago, I made the decision to follow my heart in the eastwardly direction it kept persistently pointing to: towards love, farming, the ocean, and hopefully a whole lot more cooking and blogging. 

But leaving means goodbyes, which I do not like. And this past weekend, I went up north to hang out with some beloved friends whom I will miss dearly. Thankfully, I got distracted from the woes of leaving by their 16-month old daughter filling up the weekend with smiles and laughter. And I can't decide which is better, the fact that my friends got me completely addicted to Girls, or that they introduced me to my new favourite flavour pairing: pear and cardamom.

First we had it on blueberry pancakes in the form of pear compote and cardamom whipped cream, which sent us all to the moon. And then they even concocted a luscious homemade pear soda served with generous dollops of the cardamom-perfumed cream. 

Along with blowing my mind with the fabulous pear-cardamom flavour combo, their little girl made my heart positively melt with this most fantastic fashion pairing ever: moo leg warmers and moccasins. 

And here is the little beauty, munching on delicious blueberry pancakes.

I am completely in love with this tiny lady who, like her mom and dad, is full of life and pizazz. The weekend filled me up with joy and I left feeling a little braver facing my very last week in Toronto and the mountain of goodbyes ahead. Thanks team JJ & M <3


BLUEBERRY PANCAKES WITH PEAR COMPOTE AND CARDAMOM WHIPPED CREAM

For the blueberry pancakes, you really need to go straight to the master and I recommend this recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

For the pear compote, simply chop up some pears (skins on or off, your choice) and add sugar or maple syrup to taste, along with a few tablespoonfuls of water. Cook over medium heat until the pears have dissolved into a soft and delicious pear sauce. You may need to add a little more water as they cook.

For the cardamom whipped cream, my friends used freshly ground cardamom seeds which infused the air with goodness and made the whipped cream sing. Simply crush about 7 cardamom pods, discard the husks, and either crush the seeds in a mortar and pestle with a couple teaspoons of sugar or mill them in a coffee grinder. Mix into whipped heavy cream. Sweeten to taste.

Enjoy!