Pancakes in the afternoon.

I have no idea why but for several weeks now I have been craving gingerbread pancakes. I have never had gingerbread pancakes before but it sounds good doesn't it? While flipping through the latest issue of Gourmet, I was pleasantly surprised to find the recipe I was looking for. I decided to pair them with creme fraiche (man it's dangerous having this stuff around the house. So many things are improved with a dollop!) and homemade spiced quince preserves. Yes it's another Christine Ferber recipe. Quinces are all but impossible to find in the store so last year I had the chef where I work order me a whole case. I was a little tired of them by the time I got done dealing with them and so I had never even tried the spiced quince.
The preserves are a little disappointing right out of the jar. The large slices of fruit are firm and candied. I dumped them into a pan hoping they would soften up if I warmed them up a bit. The syrup in the bottom of the jar was certainly delicious.
I am not that impressed with the pancake recipe either. Part of it is my fault. I didn't have any ginger (gingerbread with no ginger?!) but there was also no molasses called for which I think is necessary for deep, dark gingerbread.
In the end, I added extra nutmeg and some 5 spice powder to the batter and the pancakes went perfectly with the quince. I didn't even mind the firmness of the fruit.