pancakes – ¡Comemos!

So the other day I posted a photo of my Bourbon Pecan Pancakes on Instagram and got a pretty good reaction. People seemed to be loving the flavour combination and so I decided that I had to put the recipe up.

Interestingly as I was making them I sort of lost any hope of success, as the outside of the pancakes just didn’t look right. It was only when I actually tried them that I realised just how light, fluffy and tasty they actually were and so I decided to ignore my previous judgements, ignore the dodgy aesthetics, and learn to appreciate the great flavour and texture.

The recipe had been long overdue to be honest, ever since I came back from New Orleans (luckily, just before the Coronavirus travel restrictions), with a suitcase full of southern Louisianan goodies. Typical flavourings and ingredients including Bananas Foster, Pecan Pie and Pralines all influenced these pancakes, but don’t worry that you don’t have the specific foodie souvenirs that I brought back – there’ll be plenty of alternatives that you can use, which I’ll list at the end of the recipe.

These pancakes are sweet and sticky, with a satisfying crunch, and I would say they’ll leave you wanting more, but to be honest, you’ll probably be so stuffed full of deliciousness that you won’t want to think about pancakes for a while…

Makes a stack of 4 pancakes

Ingredients:

Butter

120g flour

120ml milk

1 egg

1tbsp brown sugar

Splash of Bourbon

½ tsp baking powder

1sp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Toppings

Handful of pecans

Bourbon maple syrup*

Bourbon praline sauce*

Bacon brittle*

Combine the dry ingredients then mix in the wet, making sure not to overwhisk – some lumps are ok.
Chop the pecans and put them in a saucepan on a low heat with the syrup, stirring occasionally.
Heat a knob of butter in a non-stick pan on a low-med heat (I use a mini frying pan which is the perfect size for American pancakes so the batter doesn’t have room to spread out too thinly).
Add 2-2 ½ tbsp batter at a time and flip the pancake when bubbles start to form in the centre of the pancake (Not brave enough to risk flipping it properly, I raise the frying pan and tilt on an angle so that the pancake starts to slide out, then I can use a spatula to turn it on its back).
When golden brown, remove from the heat, keep warm and repeat for the other pancakes.
Stack the pancakes with a layer of the praline sauce between each one and top with the syrupy pecans (the syrup should’ve reduced to a thick sticky coating) and cover with crushed brittle. Finish with one final drizzle of the Bourbon syrup then get stuck in!

*Replace Bourbon Maple Syrup with normal syrup heating up with a splash of Bourbon. I used the online store ‘Just Miniatures’ to get a tiny ‘fun-sized’ bottle of Bourbon as I didn’t want to spend lots of money on a big bottle that there was no chance I’d ever drink!

*There are lots of recipes online to make your own Bourbon praline sauce, although they look to be much thinner in consistency that the jar that I bought in NOLA. If you don’t want to go to that kind of effort, adding more syrup between each pancake would be a simpler alternative.

*Again, there are recipes online for Bacon Pecan Brittle, or for those in the US, Leah’s Pralines (where I bought mine) sell packets in their online store. A really delicious alternative would just be to use actual bacon, and you could always glaze it in syrup for added sweetness.

Hopefully now you’ll be on your way to creating your own New Orleans-inspired pancake stack whether you stick religiously to the recipe above, or customise it in your own way. Whatever your toppings, as long as your pancakes feature pecans, Bourbon and maple syrup, you’ll definitely taste those sweet Southern-inspired flavours!

¡Comemos!

Porridge is typically a breakfast meal. And it’s one that when I was growing up, seemed to carry connotations of unappetising, Oliver Twist-style force-fed gruel. There was an almost onomatopoeic disgust to the way we would stretch out the sickly sounding syllables.

Yet now, it’s experiencing something of a rebirth. This is partly due to health, fitness and nutrition bloggers, and the customisability of the dish which lends itself perfectly to the millennial Instagram aesthetic. Frequently referred to as oats and oat bowls to avoid that dreaded word, this revival of a time-old staple has got me hooked.

Now back to my first point – typically a breakfast meal, yes, but I’m never one to stick to the rules. Sometimes on a cold evening, or after a long day at work, it’s porridge that I crave.

But hold it right there. Because what happens when I’m not only craving a lovely, warming bowl of porridge, but also a stack of light and fluffy pancakes topped with salty bacon and a drizzle of maple syrup? No one could possibly eat both.

Until now.

This is my poffertjes porridge with pancetta, maple syrup and pecans to satisfy every single one of your cravings.

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 egg

Plain flour

Milk (I use soy milk)

Porridge oats

Pancetta cut into cubes, or more specifically cuboids if you’re using the good stuff like I have (you want the good quality thick deli stuff that comes in slabs, not supermarket wafer thin slices)

Pecans

Maple syrup

Cinnamon (optional)

Disclaimer: As I’ve mentioned before prior to going into my recipes, I’m not going to be precise and focus on measurements. I’m not a recipe developer and so instinct and a bit of common sense should be enough to work things out!

Crack your egg into a bowl and add as much flour as you think you might need for 3 mini pancakes (told you it wasn’t precise…). If in doubt, use less than you think as it’s always easier to add more.
Mix until smooth and then add a tiny bit of milk. Because you’re looking to make mini American style mini pancakes, the batter needs to be pretty thick so it doesn’t spread out in the pan. If the mixture is too loose, you can add some more flour at this point until your batter is the perfect consistency for dolloping in the pan.
In a pan, heat a tiny amount of butter or oil and fry the pancetta until crispy on the outside then remove from the pan and set aside.
Heat another small amount of butter in the same non-stick pan and dollop your batter into the pan in tablespoon size blobs. You should be able to do a few at a time. Cook for a few minutes and turn over – the base should be golden brown. Repeat on both sides until you have all of your poffertjes.
Meanwhile put the oats into a saucepan and add enough milk and/or water to just about cover them. Cook on a low-medium heat until soft and creamy. You can add cinnamon at this point if you wish.
Pile the porridge into a bowl and add the poffertjes. Sprinkle over the pancetta and pecans and finish with a drizzle of maple syrup.

This may not be a conventional meal, but it certainly was satisfying. Why stick to the same old flavours, following the same old rules when you can be a bit more creative? A comfort meal with a twist – do let me know if you try this one!