Holidays! Late nights. Leisurely sleep ins. Spending all day in your PJs (more than usual). Calling in sick cos you drank too much after handing in your last piece of assessment. Calling in sick to go to the mountains. Cleaning the house for the first time five months. Indulging in ‘projects’ that mess up the property and necessitate trips to Creative Junk. Cooked breakfasts. COOKED BREAKFASTS.
So. You brought that hottie lab partner home. They didn’t walk out the door upon seeing the things growing on the bathroom wall, the Ben 10 action figures on the window and the giant cut out of Rodney Hide, his eyes gouged out with a biro, wearing a feather boa. You cooked them a steak dinner, as elucidated by CANTA (good effort). Your kitchen prowess made them all warm and squiggly on the inside and after a romantic dessert of jellytips and / or chocolate vigeur – fade out to black, fade in – it’s the next morning. Time to seal the deal.
Fluffy pancakes
Makes about 6 in an 8” frying pan, depending on your preferred level of thickness
Dry ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients:
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 1/3 cups milk (or soy milk)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (eg canola)
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl – give them a quick whisk to make sure they are mixed properly and that the flour isn’t lumpy, or use a sieve. Combine the wet ingredients in a smaller bowl and whisk to combine. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients – give the mixture a quick whisk to combine (it won’t take much) and let it sit for a couple of minutes.
Heat up your frying pan and add a knob of butter – splash a few drops of water into the pan, and when they sizzle and dance you’re ready to go. Pour in the batter (messier) or drop it in with a ladle (cleaner), then tilt the pan until it’s all even. When the outside edges are looking set and the centre is looking bubbly, flip your pancake over to finish cooking. Slide the pancake out onto a plate and cover it with foil (unless you’re eating as you go) and start again.
You will need to figure out how well behaved your stovetop is – we have gas so the heat is distributed pretty evenly, but I’ve had ovens that don’t seem to see the difference between a gentle heat and a raging inferno. Keep an eye on your pancakes - your mileage may vary.
Extras for experts: You can add a big handful stuff (such as frozen blueberries or redcurrants, or chocolate chips, or grated cheese) to the batter just before you start to cook the pancake. There is also lots of fun to be had with dividing the mix in two, flavouring (maple cinnamon anyone?) or colouring one of portions, and then pouring the two lots of batter into the pan in a big swirl, blobby circles, or a vaguely marbled.pattern. Fancy pants.
Berry sauce
Feel like a topping? Prepare this earlier and keep in the fridge or freezer. It’s also lovely on ice cream or cheesecake.
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar (white is good, caster is better)
- 3 cups of berries (frozen is fine)
- Cornflour or arrowroot
Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan, preferably heavy-bottomed. Heat it slowly, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat a notch and bring to a slow boil, letting it boil for 5 minutes. Add the berries and simmer for 5 minutes (plus another minute or so if using frozen berries), stirring frequently. Turn the heat right down. Combine 1 tablespoon cornflour and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until you have a thick paste. Add it to the saucepan, stirring well. Do it again if you would like a thicker sauce – bearing in mind that the sauce will also thicken upon cooling. Remove from the heat. If you are planning on freezing or refrigerating it, let it cool to room temperature before transferring it to another container.
A word about mixing: when it comes to things with lots of flour, such as pancakes, cakes, or muffins, be careful that you only mix things up enough that they are combined. Otherwise your lovely baked goods will be tough and chewy, and nobody likes it when their breakfast bounces.
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