Cheddar-Jalapeño Corn Pancakes

Step 1

Position a rack in the center of the oven, put a baking sheet on the rack, and heat the oven to 200°F.

Step 2

On a griddle or in a 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over medium high heat until crisp, 8 to 9 minutes, turning occasionally. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate and let cool. Reserve the bacon fat. When the bacon is cool to the touch, finely chop or crumble it by hand.

Step 3

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and 1/2  tsp. salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, cheese, scallions, jalapeño, and 2 Tbs. water. Gently whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined. The batter will be very thick.

Step 4

Let the batter rest while you heat the griddle or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly oil the griddle with the reserved bacon fat. Working in batches, pour 2 Tbs. of the batter onto the griddle for each pancake, spacing them about 1 inch apart and gently spreading them with the back of a spoon or silicone spatula to a 3-1/2-inch diameter. Let cook undisturbed until bubbles rise to the surface and the edges look dry, about 2 minutes. Check the underside of each pancake to make sure it’s nicely browned, then flip. Cook until the second side is nicely browned, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer the pancakes to the baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you repeat with the remaining batter.

Step 5

Serve the pancakes topped with the diced avocado, crumbled bacon, a dollop of sour cream (if using), and the cilantro. Serve lime wedges on the side.