Uncle Buck
Uncle Buck was a childhood fave of mine. Is it the best movie in the world? Maybe not. But it’s god damn funny, and it’s got a lot of food in it that I’ve always wanted to make. Namely, really enormous pancakes.
The plot itself is relatively simple–a family emergency forces a set of parents to leave their children in the care of their screw up uncle. Played by John Candy, Uncle Buck is well meaning, but has no idea how to handle kids because he himself is a big man child who can’t hold down a job or commit to his more than understanding girlfriend. Buck’s oldest niece Tia (Jean Louisa Kelly) is appropriately emo, and the two younger children (played by Gaby Hoffman and Macaulay Culkin just pre-Home Alone) are wonderfully adorable and precocious. Gaffs abound, and tensions run high between Uncle Buck and Tia regarding her sexual predator of a twiddle-dink boyfriend, but it all ends wrapped up in a lovely little emotional bow.
John Hughes has always been great at these types of films, and if you’re a fan of John Candy (RIP) and you haven’t seen Uncle Buck yet, you’re in for a fun little treat. So here is an epic brekkie menu to honor the the drill wielding, gas hog driving, cigar smoking, clown punching, sock microwaving, bowler supreme Uncle Buck. Much better than crappy takeout Chinese or a disgusting lunch of bad banana and sardines– but maybe more importantly, it’s a GREAT meal for a hangover (I see you, on this January 1).
Now take this quarter, go downtown, and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face! Good day to you, madam.
(Ok that made no sense, but I love that line.)
The Movie
The Menu
Johnny cakes + candied bacon and smoky sausages for cigar smoking John Candy. How much more on point can you get? Unfortunately however, I don't have a giant griddle/grill in my kitchen, nor do I own a snow shovel for "easy" pancake flippage ala Uncle Buck. But I DO have a 15 inch paella pan. And I've been waiting to try this for a loooong time. Now, you could make all the johnny cake batter in one go and try to separate it into 3 equal portions. But, you run the risk of the batter losing air between bakes AND it's hard to find a receptacle big enough to fit all that goldeny wet deliciousness. So, the instructions below have you making a pancake at a time. Which, for the faint of heart/slight of stomach, means that you could stop at one. I don't know why you would, but hey-- you do you. If you're fully committed to the giant pancake effect, you're gonna need a giant pat of butter. So, before you start the pancake process, soften 4 tbsp of butter and create a 4x4 square-- I used a piece of tin foil to help mold it into shape before sticking it in the fridge to firm up. Now it's time to preheat your oven to 375 and get all your johnny cake ingredients together! Mix 1 1/2 cups of flour and 1/2 cup cornmeal in a small bowl. In a separate, larger, bowl add 3 eggs, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt. Next, whisk the egg mix until it is light and smooth, about 30 secs. Then add 1 1/4 cup of buttermilk and half of the flour/cornmeal mix (about a cup)-- whisk gently until just combined (you want lots of lumpies at this stage. Next, add 3 tbsp of melted butter, the remaining 1 cup of buttermilk, and the remainder of your flour/cornmeal mix. Mix to combine, but only just-- lumpies are still ok! Now it's time to prep your paella pan. Add 2 tbsp of veggie oil and 2 tbsp butter. Heat on medium high until the butter is fully melted-- swirl to coat the bottom of the pan fully. Quickly dump your pancake batter into the pan, scraping the sides of your bowl with a rubber spatula to get it all. Immediately reduce the heat to medium low, and allow to cook for a minute or two, shaking the paella pan slightly. When you start to see bubbles pop up on the surface of the batter, time to get it in the oven. Bake for roughly 20 mins-- you'll see the johnny cake puff up nicely in the oven as it cooks. Once it's set, remove it from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Place a large cookie sheet or cutting board over the top of the pan and invert it-- you should see a nice golden pancake drop onto the sheet/board. I'd say "this is where you separate the men from the boys"... but that's sexist. Keep warm on the stove, loosely tented with aluminum foil, and repeat the process all over again... and then again! While your last pancake is baking, feel free to get started on your meats. Typically breakfast sausages are easy-- you just fry them up in a pan until they get crispy and golden-y. For the bacon, I always start with a room temp pan and heat the bacon gradually to ensure crispness, flipping once or twice to cook on both sides. For the candied element, add about 3 tbsp of syrup to the pan just before your strips finish cooking and let them sizzle away for a minute or so, flipping once. Instead of draining on paper towels, lay your bacon strips apart from one another on a piece of parchment paper. The syrupy coating on the outside with firm up a bit and you'll end up with a chewy, but still crispy, slice of heaven. With all that done, you can assemble your breakfast mountain. Serve pancakes cut in wedges with a chunk of melty butter and a crap ton of syrup. The Miles's and Maisy's of your life will be thrilled. You should see the toast. I couldn't even get it through the door! For those of you reading this who have no idea what the hell a johnny cake is vs a traditional pancake-- Southern Living explains it well. An egg skillet with all the mustardy onions, bell peppers, and yes more sausage, you can eat! I passed on adding cheese tho. You don't wanna end up needing a toilet plunger at the end of the meal. We don't have to eat everything Buck does. Cue up Tweedle Dee by Lavern Baker and get crackin'. Literally. Hey look it's ingredients! In a cast iron skillet that will be your end destination for your scramble, heat your veggie oil on medium and add your onions. Sautee for a couple of minutes to soften slightly, then add your bell peppers, sausage, and a pinch of garlic powder. Whisk your mustard and worcestershershershire (I can never spell that right) together and toss that in too. Stir to coat everything, and move over to your eggs. It's time to multi-task: In a separate non-stick skillet, melt your butter on medium while you whisk your eggs in a bowl with salt and pepper. Add those to your non-stick skillet and reduce heat slightly, letting the bottom of the eggs set for 10 or so seconds before you swirl them with a spoon. At the same time, keep an eye on your peppers and kielbasa, making sure they don't burn! When your eggs are good and scramby, add those to your cast iron skillet and toss lightly with your sausages and veggies. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed, and garnish with chopped chives. Holy smokes! Since Uncle Buck's little b of a neice Tia doesn't really do brekkie, I made her a brulee'd grapefruit-- bitter with a hint of salt, BUT sweet at the end. And if you're feeling a little Tia yourself, don't worry-- there's still coffee coming. Cut the grapefruit in half crosswise, and cut a thin slice off the bottom of each half to stabilize the pieces. Remove all seeds from the grapefruit that you can see, and loosen the segments with a sharp knife. Sprinkle each half evenly with the brown sugar and, using a blowtorch, brulee the sugar to form a golden brown and crispy surface. Sprinkle the hot sugar with the salt, and serve immediately. If you don't have a brulee torch, you can always stick your grapefruit close under the broiler for 3-5 mins, depending on how hot it gets. A breakfast cocktail that Uncle Buck would appreciate-- coffee and cereal milk and a lot of booze. They'reeeee Greeeeeat! Preheat oven to 300. Spread the cornflakes in an even layer on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and toast for about 15 minutes. Cool completely. Reserve about 1/4 cup of your flakes for garnish. Then, add 3/4 of the flakes to your cream in one bowl, and 1 cup of flakes to your bowl of milk, stirring to make sure all of the flakes are as submerged as possible. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Strain the flakes out of each mix and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Just before you're ready to serve, use a hand beater or immersion blender to beat the cream and your sugar into stiff peaks. Pour your coffee, coffee liqueur, and whiskey into two glasses-- top off with cereal milk, followed by your cereal whipped cream, and garnish with reserved frosted flakes. If you find a stray flake, Buck knows what to do.
Johnny Cake Pancakes with Candied Bacon and Smoky Breakfast Sausages
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
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Uncle Buck's "Garbage" Scramble
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Bittersweet Burnt Grapefruit
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Frosted Flakes and Coffee Cocktail
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Epilogue
Omg there was an Uncle Buck SERIES? … and … ANOTHER SERIES?
Life is absurd. Going back to more pancakes.
For more menus, check out my movie directory here!