pancakes Archives - Sugar et al

Today I could hear the birds chirping in the distance as I sat down to eat breakfast alone. School has reopened. The house is quiet after 3 weeks. I noticed that I was easily distracted by the noise outside and kept looking out. Breakfast was oatmeal with nuts and apples. This was in stark contrast to the fancy, big and colourful breakfasts I was making and eating along with my little companions. I have to admit I am already missing the buzz and chaos of the last few weeks. The sound of things constantly being moved around…feet running at record speed..shrieking…laughter and of course the volley of questions.

Talking about breakfast, I was armed with a whole lot of recipes that I wanted to try out. So there were pancakes, crepes, french toasts, fritters and muffins coming out of my kitchen with all kinds of toppings and fillings. I had run out flour twice which is when I realized that.we were eating more than usual. I’ve managed to photograph a few that I’ll be sharing in the next few posts. During our visit to the citrus orchard, we brought back a large box of kumquats. I poached the entire lot in thyme infused sugar syrup and stored them in the refrigerator. It makes for a beautiful, juicy citrus flavoured topping on top of yoghurt, panna cotta, vanilla ice cream and chocolate desserts. It tastes almost like chunky orange marmalade, actually better. Yes, that garnish on top is cotton candy/fairy floss. I was excited that it generated quite a bit of curiosity as soon as I posted the photos on Instagram. Well, there’s a child in each of us and I believe in saying ‘hello’ to this personality every once in a while:-)

I used this recipe by Bakerella to make the double chocolate pancakes. They were fudgy, gooey and very chocolatey. The only change I made was that I added extra 2 tbsps of milk to the batter to thin it out as it was very thick.

Double Chocolate Pancakes With Poached Kumquats

1⅓ cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ cup sugar
¼ tsp. salt
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1¼ cup milk
1 egg
½ cup chocolate chips

For the chocolate sauce
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. butter
1 cup dark chocolate, roughly chopped

For the poached kumquats
1 cup kumquats, halved and seeded
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1 small sprig thyme (optional)

In a medium bowl, whisk dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients and whisk until combined. The batter will be lumpy. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Heat a frying pan ( I used a small one) over medium heat and lightly grease surface with butter. Use a ¼-cup measuring cup to scoop batter onto griddle to ensure similar size pancakes. Cook until pancakes have bubbles on the top, then flip them over and cook for an additional minute. Repeat with the remaining batter.

To make the chocolate sauce, heat heavy cream and butter in a small saucepan until just on the cusp of boiling, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and pour over chopped dark chocolate in a small bowl. Let rest for a minute, then stir until completely combined. Drizzle over pancakes. (Note: You can make the chocolate sauce first so it will thicken a bit while you prepare the pancakes.)

To make the poached kumquats, Place the kumquats, sugar and water in medium saucepan over medium high heat and slowly bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Turn the heat down and simmer for about 10 minutes, covered, until the kumquats are translucent. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.

To serve, place the pancakes on serving plates. Drizzle with chocolate sauce. Top with poached kumquats, berries or seasonal fruits. Decorate with fairy floss.

I simply love sweet-savory food combinations! When balanced well they can do wonders for your taste buds. What better than fluffy pancakes dripping in maple syrup with crispy salty bacon. And to tie them together juicy blueberries that are bit sweet..a bit tart!

I did tell you about our big Sunday breakfasts and brunches. This is one of the simpler dishes I make for my family with different combinations. With the abundance of seasonal blueberries, I couldn’t have thought of a better addition to my pancakes. I love the way they melt and ooze out when cooked with the batter.

These pancakes are smaller in size than normal ones so you can easily fry two at a time. Smaller stacks work for me. They look cute and cook faster so you can keep the plates coming out quickly when you have guests for brunch. In, Australia, we call them pikelets. You can substitute blueberries with two ripe mashed banana or even a cup of pumpkin puree. These are combinations that I use with the pancake batter.

So do you like food that combines sweet and savory? And which one is your favourite combination?
Without a doubt, Salted Caramel tops my list!

Blueberry and Maple Syrup Pancakes with Bacon (adapted with variation from Good Taste magazine)

11/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp castor sugar
1/2 tsp salt
125g blueberries
11/4 cups milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
30 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Bacon rashers, to serve
Extra blueberries, to serve
Maple syrup, to serve

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and salt. Stir in the blueberries. Make a well in the centre and add the milk, egg and butter. Use a metal spoon to stir, until just combined.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Grease with butter. Pour 1/4 cup portions of batter into the pan (2 at a time). Cook for 1-2 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface. Turn and cook for 30 seconds or until cooked through.
Transfer to a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
Serve pancakes with cooked bacon, extra blueberries and maple syrup.