Wisconsin Weekend

Midwesterners know that there is a stern rivalry between Minnesota and Wisconsin. I've never understood it. I like Wisconsin, I like Wisconsinites, and I really like The Packers. While my favorite place in the world is NE Minneapolis along the Mississippi, my second favorite place (a close second, in fact) is Door County, Wisconsin. Funny that I remember both locations for the food.

Main Street across from St. Anthony Falls always triggers 1980s foot court nostalgia: St. Anthony Main Pizzeria pies, Dino's pita salads, Thieves Market egg rolls, Prince Street Bar burgers, and thick vanilla shakes from Häagen-Dazs. But Door County.. ah Door County with your goats on roofs and lingonberry pancakes served with meatballs, and your fish boils, oh Lord those fish boils...

My friend TM's Uncle Jerry lives in Wisconsin, not far from the border. Jerry recently began farming his 40 acres, and this year tapped the sugar maples. When TM offered me a jug of her Jerry's maple syrup, I grabbed it and ran, hoping she wouldn't change her mind and yank the heavy bottle out of my greedy hands. This weekend we honed a Midwestern food truce and topped my rendition of Wisconsin crepes with fresh Minnesota currants and Jerry's syrup.

Wisconsin Crepes with Jerry-Berry Syrup
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup flax meal
1/2 cup ricotta
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch salt

Use whisk attachment to combine eggs, sugar, and 1/2 cup milk to form wet batter; about 3 minutes. Add flour and flax all at once and continue beating. Add remaining ingredients and beat 2 to 3 additional minutes. Batter will be quite wet.

Place 7-inch nonstick pan over medium high heat. Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter on to pan. Swirl pan to evenly distribute batter. Cook pancake until edges begin to pull away from the pan (about 1 minutes) and use flat spatula to gently slide pancake off pan and flip. Cook additional 30 to 45 seconds.

Jerry-Berry Syrup: heat equal parts berries and maple syrup until berries are just heated; remove from heat and add a tablespoon of butter for each cup of berry syrup.