To make the griddle cakes, start by heating the milk in a small pot just until it simmers. Remove from heat and add in oil, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix together the polenta, flour, almond meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the polenta mixture and stir to combine. Fold in the blueberries and pine nuts. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes so that the polenta softens and absorbs the liquid. Rinse out the pot. To make the lemon-butter syrup, heat the syrup and butter in the pot until the butter melts. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and lemon extract. Heat about a teaspoon of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Use a ¼ cup measure or large spoon to spoon the batter onto the hot pan. (Pancakes should measure 3 ½ to 4 inches.) Cook until the bottoms are golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes until bottoms are golden brown. Serve immediately with the warm syrup.