Japanese Soufflé Pancakes with Whipped Blueberry Butter

Sugared Blueberries

• Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.
• Combine ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved then remove from heat. Let cool 10 minutes. Stir in blueberries and let soak for 5 minutes.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer blueberries to prepared baking sheet, letting excess syrup drip off, then separate berries so they aren’t touching. Let sit 30 minutes until very sticky.
• Pour remaining ½ cup sugar in a clean rimmed baking sheet and spread out in an even layer. Dump sticky blueberries onto the sugar and toss to coat, until evenly covered in sugar. Let sit a few hours to fully dry and harden.

Whipped Blueberry Butter

• Place butter in a medium bowl and cream with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Beat in milk and a pinch of salt. Add blueberry jam and beat until combined.

Soufflé Pancakes

• Cut out six 1 ½-inch thick strips of parchment paper. Butter 3 english muffin rings (or other 3 ½ to 4-inch circular molds) and line with strips. Alternatively, shape the parchment strips into 3 ½-inch rounds and tape ends together. Set aside.
• Whisk together egg yolks, 3 Tablespoons warm water, melted butter and vanilla in a large bowl. Add flour and baking powder and mix until just combined; set aside.
• Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed until frothy, about 2 minutes. With the mixer running, sprinkle in salt and cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Increase speed to medium-high and slowly add sugar, a Tablespoon at a time and beating well after each addition, until the meringue is stiff and glossy.
• Stir ½ cup of meringue into the egg yolk mixture to lighten the batter. Then, working in 3 batches, gently fold in the meringue until the batter is very light and there are no visible streaks of meringue.
• Preheat a large non-stick skillet to very low heat. Lightly butter the skillet and the insides of the parchment-lined molds. Scoop ½ cup of batter into each mold and cover pan with a lid. Cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the bottom of the pancake easily releases and the pancake is mostly cooked through. To flip the pancakes, slide a spatula underneath, tip the pancake on the side of its ring, and then flip it all the way over. Cover and cook another 10 minutes, or until cooked through.
• Transfer to a plate and gently remove mold and peel off parchment. Pancakes are best enjoyed immediately, but can also be kept warm in a 250°F oven for up to 20 minutes. Repeat process with remaining 3 pancakes.
• Serve with a generous scoop of whipped blueberry butter and garnish with sugared blueberries.