a week in the upper peninsula

hello!

I hope everyone is gearing up for a great (and hot!) weekend. I just got back from a week in northern Michigan with my family and came home feeling so inspired.

My family has had a cottage in Michigan’s eastern Upper Peninsula for many years, since long before I came along. It’s where I grew up spending the summer, along with my dad, my grandfather, my great-grandfather, countless cousins, uncles, aunts - and it’s where Holly will grow up, too.

The cottage is on an island without roads or cars, full of winding, well-trodden foot paths and towering fir trees. Days are spent putzing around the house - I’m not great at sitting still, even on vacation, so life in an old cottage that needs yearly TLC is perfect for me- boating to nearby islands, and jumping off the dock.

And, of course, there’s cooking. The nearby town is small, just one blinking stop light and a handful of shops. The supermarket is small and limited compared to the grocery stores and speciality markets in the Hudson Valley. But it’s got all the staples, (including my all-time favorite cake donuts) and along with the weekly farmer’s market and occasional perch or bass from a fishing trip, it’s more than enough.

I’ve learned that my time in Michigan actually makes me a more creative cook. One of my priorities when coming up with new recipes is keeping them simple and accessible to all my readers, whether they live in a city or a small town. I like to look for ways to add flavor without using hard-to-find ingredients or calling for specialty equipment, and being in the U.P. pushes me to focus on that goal even more.

It’s also a place where I return to my childhood favorites. Every summer my mom would make pancakes - using her fave Bisquick mix - and she’d add a couple ears worth of fresh corn kernels. It may sound like an unusual combination, but I’ve always loved the fluffiness of the pancakes with the occasional crunch of sweet summer corn. Sometimes she’d put blueberries in the pancakes, too, which felt very quintessential Michigan.

This year, I put my own spin on the pancakes by adding diced yellow peaches, another Michigan summer staple. Like the blueberries, their sweetness complements the corn, but peaches are so juicy and fragrant that they take the pancakes to a whole new level. I use a little bit of cornmeal in the batter, along with regular flour, and I add generous pinch of cinnamon to make the kitchen smell heavenly… and to lure everyone down from their beds in the morning.

Summer is nostalgic for so many of us, and its fleeting nature makes its traditions even more special. I hope you’ll decide to give this recipe a try while peaches and corn are in season, and I hope you find other delicious ways to enjoy these blissful dog days of summer while they last!

xoxo

Lidey

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serves 4 to 6

1½ cups/195 grams all purpose flour

½ cup/70 grams medium-grind cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1¼ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt

¾ cup plain Greek yogurt

¾ cup whole milk

2 large eggs, beaten

¼ cup/50 grams granulated sugar

1 large, ripe peach, plus more for serving (optional)

1 cup fresh corn kernels, plus 1/4 cup for serving (from 3 large ears)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, for frying

Maple syrup, for serving

1. Turn the oven to 200 degrees and place an ovenproof platter or a sheet pan in the oven.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a separate, medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the yogurt, milk, eggs and sugar and whisk until smooth.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Cut the peach in half, remove the pit, and dice the peach into ¼-inch pieces. Gently fold them into the batter, along with 1 cup of the corn kernels.

4. On a cast-iron griddle or in a 12-inch skillet, heat ½ tablespoon butter over medium. Scoop a heaping 1/4 cup of pancake batter onto one side of the skillet and spread lightly into an even circle with the bottom of the measuring cup. Repeat to form two more pancakes (or more if using a large griddle). Cook for about 2 minutes, until bubbles form on the pancakes and the bottoms are golden brown, lowering the heat if the pancakes begin browning too quickly, then flip the pancakes and cook for another minute.

5. Transfer the cooked pancakes to the platter in the oven and repeat this process with the remaining batter, adding more butter to the pan as needed. Spoon the reserved 1/4 cup corn kernels and some peach slices over the pancakes, and serve warm drizzled with maple syrup.