Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, as you all
know. Even if you do not agree with this statement, food is needed for us to
function each day. I think this applies to most people that early in the
mornings, we cannot even roll out of bed never mind prepare and cook breakfast.
Toast, cereal and porridge or things that are quick and simple are usually the
typical breakfast choices (preferably something we can eat in 5mins or less). So
weekends are the perfect opportunity to take the time to cook a hearty homemade
breakfast (or whenever we have days off from work/school etc).
I decided to bring
out the big guns and make pancakes, which I think is an ideal breakfast because
let’s be honest.. Who doesn’t like pancakes?
The recipe I followed was from one of the many cookery books
I have belonging to Lorraine Pascale. (Lorraine Pascale's Fast, Fresh and Easy Food) Her recipe is pretty much fool proof and leaves you with amazing
pancakes that will be gone within minutes once you place them on the table.
Although her recipe requires Cinnamon, Ginger and Lemon Zest; these ingredients
can be omitted or substituted for others. I decided to make plain pancakes replacing
the Parma ham for Bacon and serving with Scrambled Eggs. So let’s begin:
All you need is:
225g Self Raising
Flour
3 tbsp Soft light
Brown Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Ground Cinamon
2 tsp Ground Ginger
½ Lemon
½ Vanilla Pod (couple
of drops of Vanilla Extract)
300ml Semi Skimmed
Milk
1 Medium Egg
Sunflower Oil
12 Slices of Parma
Ham
------
100ml Maple Syrup
100g Sour Cream / Crème
Fraiche
Large Bowl
Large Frying Pan
Zester
2 Baking Trays
Spatula
Spoon
❶ Preheat oven to 110°c / Gas Mark ½ , ready to keep the
pancakes warm after they have been cooked.
❷ Put flour, sugar baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt into
a mixing bowl, give them a mix then make a well in the centre. Grate the lemon
zest, add vanilla then gradually pour milk in to incorporate the mixture
stirring constantly. Beat the egg in and mix well.
❸ Drizzle some oil into the pan on a medium heat and cook Parma ham or Bacon for 2-3 mins on each side until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and place onto baking tray to keep warm in the oven.
❹ Using the same pan, reduce to low and add more oil if
needed. Spoon dollops of the pancake mix into the pan (to spread about 10cm
wide). Cook pancake for 1-2 minutes until golden on each side. Place cooked
pancakes on baking tray and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat until there
are 12 pancakes.
❺ Once everything is cooked, serve on a plate piled high
with syrup and Crème Fraiche.
Personally, I prefer to cook my bacon in the oven by placing
bacon streaks onto a lined baking tray. By preheating oven to 200°c / Gas Mark 6,
place the baking tray with bacon inside for 30mins (length of time depends on
how crispy you would like the bacon, so check every 10-15mins).
Pancakes are a great breakfast as you can serve them sweet
or savoury, try serving with chocolate sauce or jam and cream instead of bacon and
eggs. I can assure you that your family and friends will thoroughly enjoy this
yummy breakfast if you give them a try. What’s stopping you… Go for it!
Wendy
-x-
