Preheat the oven to 225*C/425*F/ gas mark 7.  Place a heavy oven proof skillet into the oven. (I use my iron skillet)  Once it is hot, remove carefully and add the butter to the pan.  Swirl it to melt the butter and coat the pan.   Pour in the batter and swirl the batter around to coat the bottom of the pan.Immediately return the pan to the hot oven.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until well puffed and golden brown.  Remove from the oven, and allow to cool slightly.  Dust with Icing sugar and serve, cut into wedges with syrup to drizzle and fruit to spoon over top.

I've always liked to pull the boat out a bit at the weekend . . .  a nice leisurely breakfast, usually something which we wouldn't have any other day of the week.   Having been diagnosed as a Diabetic I thought those days would be over, but I'm happy to say that they aren't in the least.  They're just different.

One day recently I found out that our little Spanish girl loves pancakes.  It just slipped out in a conversation as these things do . . .  and so I decided to treat her to a lovely batch of them one morning.   I know . . .  I am spoiling her, but it's just so darned nice to have a young person around.  I truly am enjoying the experience and her! 

Hooray!  Tomorrow is pancake day, one of my most favouritest days of the year!  I love pancakes and a day that celebrates these little lovelies is just a great day altogether.   When I was a child, believe it or not . . . pancake day was the only time my mom ever made pancakes!  I know!!!  I had a deprived childhood!  Seriously, they were a real treat!

When my own children were growing up, pancakes was the breakfast I cooked for them every time they had a sleepover and also the breakfast we had whenever we went to Uncle Ewen's for a visit.   He made the most delicious buttermilk pancakes, and he always served them with canned peaches, maple syrup, sausage and bacon.  Sooo good!

I have a lot of pancake recipes on here.   There are Irish Pancakes,  Strawberry Buttermilk Pancakes, Bacon and Polenta Pancakes, Cinnamon Roll Pancakes, Silver Dollar Pancakes,  Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes, Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes, Honey and Raspberry Pancakes, Cranberry and Oats Buttermilk Pancakes, Applesauce Pancakes with a Spicy Apple Syrup, Blueberry and Granola Buttermilks, Sticky Toffee Pancakes, and an Autumn Apple Pancake. 

What can I say???  It's CLEAR we adore pancakes!



This year we were challenged by the people who make Tefal pans to come up with something new for Pancake Day and I was sent this lovely Tefal Jamie Oliver Pan to cook them in.

 

With it's unique 10th anniversary pattern on the bottom of the pan, it's new prometal hard non-stick coating (engineered for the rigours of every day use) and durable hard enamel exterior this is a dream pan.



It also sports the Thermo-Spot, optimal cooking dot in the centre, which changes colour when your pan is at the right temperature for cooking.   I have never had one of these before and was very excited about this.

 

Just look at that spiffin handle!  Can you tell how excited I am about this pan.  I hope so because it's an excellent pan and it cooked like a dream.  No sticking whatsover, and great cookin' and it cleaned up fantastically!

I was also very excited about this pancake day challenge too, so excited in fact that I came up with not one, but two different pancake recipes for us and all of you to enjoy!  Yay!



First up a little something healthy.  Whole Wheat and Cheddar Pancakes with a Spiced Apple Topping and Syrup.   Oh boy, sooooo good!

 

So tasty and so fluffy, using both plain and white flours and the tasty addition of wheat  bran for extra goodness . . . and then just a touch of strong cheddar . . .



And that delicious topping . . . wowsa, with nice crispy tender wedges of tart Granny Smith Apple and maple and cinnamon.  Oh so tasty.   These were gorgeous.   Absolutely gorgeous.  And it was nice to know that the gorgeousness also came along with a bit of healthiness!  Apples and Cheese, a marriage made in heaven!

 

Divide the pancakes amongst four heated plates, topping each serving with 1/4 of the apples and syrup.  Serve immediately.



Another favourite of ours is rice pudding and so I thought . . . why not Rice Pudding Pancakes???   Why not indeed!!

 

All the flavours of a rice pudding . . . custardy rich egg . . . nutmeg, vanilla . . . rice . . . cooked into a tender and fluffy pancake . . .



And you all know how much we love Blueberries in this house, so it just seemed that a delicious sweet/tart blueberry syrup would be the perfect addition to crown these tasty little babies!



I could go on and on about how very tasty they were, but you'll just have to make them for yourself and see!  These are winner/winner/chicken dinner's!!!  Ceptin they are not chicken dinners . . . they're pancakes, and they're luciously scrumdiddlyumptiously good!

 

Heat a large nonstick pan or griddle over medium heat.   Butter if necessary.    Spoon 1/4 cup fuls of the batter onto the heated pan, leaving space for spreading.   When the undersides are golden brown and the surfaces are covered with tiny bubbles, flip over and cook just until the other side is golden brown.  Keep warm in a low oven until you have cooked all the pancakes.

Serve hot and pass the blueberry syrup! 

Many thanks to Tefal  for sending me this lovely pan to work with.  It really is a lovely pan.  I adore it.   And also for issuing the challenge.  I had a lot of fun, and for Nicola at Yomego for contacting me about it in the first instance.

Now what are you all waiting for???  Treat yourself to a new pan and get flipping!

Note:  Although I was sent a new pan, any and all opinions are my own and in no way prejudiced because of this.

I wanted to make you something different for pancake day this year.  I try to do something special each year for you.  Last year it was Honey and Raspberry Pancakes . . . a lovely treat.  Mmmm  . . . my mouth is watering just think about them.

 

I had a real longing this year for light and fluffy pancakes, and yet hearty pancakes . . . pancakes that reminded me of my travels during my younger years, when a stay at a hotel meant pancakes for breakfast.   When I was a child my mother never ever made pancakes but for once a year, on pancake day . . . oh how we loved them.   My poor mom was stuck at the stove for hours fulfilling our pancake desires!

 

I can remember traveling through Vermont when I was a young woman and stopping at a restaurant for breakfast in the Northern Part of the State past Burlington and near to the border . . . where it gets really watery and lakey and rivery . . . I know of no other words to describe it.   It was a cool morning and the mist was rising up over the lake, in an almost ethereal way.  The perfect pancake morning.

 

I ordered pancakes for my breakfast and was served these pancakes which had been made with cornmeal, quite unlike any other I had ever eaten, and it was love, love, love at first bite.  I know that things seem to taste better with memory . . . and the memories of those pancakes are no exception.   Every time I think of them my mouth waters . . . and of course they were served with fresh Vermont Maple Syrup.  Scrummo!



And so I wanted a hearty pancake like that, modernized for today by using polenta.   I had also seen photos of pancakes on the web, that had been baked over slices of crisp bacon, the batter flowing  around the crisp bacon . . . all crisp and golden.   Oh my, but they have always looked so tasty, and so I decided to add this aspect to my 2013 pancake as well.

 

The result was a delicious pancake, moist from the use of sour milk, with nice bits of crunch throughout from the polenta . . . and that salty smoked moreish flavour from the Bacon, which goes so very well with the sweetness of the Maple Syrup.

 

And so here you have my pancake day offering for Shrove Tuesday, 2013.   Polenta and Bacon Pancakes.  Enjoy!

 

*Polenta and Bacon Pancakes*
Makes approximately 16 (8 servings)
Printable Recipe

Golden brown, sour milk tender, with a slight crunch.  Deliciously salty sweet and peppery, should you so choose.

170g of coarse polenta (cornmeal, 1 cup)
100g of plain flour (1 cup)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
16 rashers of lightly cooked dry cure rindless streaky bacon
(smoked or not, as you prefer)
393ml of sour milk (1 2/3 cup)
(to sour milk, squeeze the juice of half a lemon into the measuring beaker, and fill with
the milk to 393ml.  Allow to stand for 5 minutes before proceeding.)
2 large free range eggs
60ml of pure maple syrup (1/4 cup)
4 TBS melted unsalted butter, or bacon fat
(How naughty do you feel?)

To serve:
cold butter and maple syrup

 

Preheat the oven to low and place a baking sheet lined with baking paper inside.

Whisk the polenta, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and pepper (if using) together in a bowl.   In another bowl whisk together the sour milk, eggs, maple syrup and melted butter or bacon fat.  Blend thoroughly.   Add the wet ingredients to the dry all at once and stir together just to combine.  A few lumps are normal and welcome.  Transfer to a pouring beaker. (This will make things so much easier, trust me.)

Lightly grease your skillet and heat over medium heat.   Place a slice of bacon in the skillet, or two depending on the size of your skillet and leaving a goodly amount of space between.   Carefully pour batter over the bacon to cover.  (about 1/4 cup)  Cook, until the undersides of the pancake are golden brown and the surface of the pancake is covered with bubbles.  Carefully flip over and cook until the other sides are golden brown.  Transfer to a warm oven and keep warm while you  cook the remaining pancakes.

 

Serve hot with cold butter for spreading and plenty of Maple Syrup.

Note:  If you are feeling really indulgent you can serve them with more bacon and some cold tinned sliced peaches.  Nom! Nom!

 

When I moved over here to the UK in October of 2000, I carried a very heavy 2 litre can of Maple Syrup with me on the plane. Of course this was pre-9/11 so that wasn't a problem. I don't think you would get away with it now. Sad . . . but true.

 

I remember carrying it through Heathrow from the overseas terminal to another terminal where I was catching  my flight up to Manchester and for a time regretting my  impulsiveness in bringing such a heavy big tin.  It had a thin metal handle which really became uncomfortable in my tiny hands after about what seemed like the first mile of carrying it.  Thankfully several gentlemen headed in the same direction took pity on me and helped me out . . . I was soooo grateful!!



We sure did enjoy that Maple Syrup while it lasted. Todd had it in everything . . . in his hot drinks, on his cereal in the morning.  It was a luxury that we both enjoyed to the full.  I've never had so much Maple Syrup in my house since then.  I do pick it up now, and pay the premium price . . . because I'm a canuck and we canucks love our Maple Syrup.  Pancakes just wouldn't seem right without real Maple Syrup on them . . . sorry Mrs Butterworth!  You're good, but you're not THAT good!!

 

Saturday mornings were always pancake mornings in my house when my chicks were growing up.  When I was a child we only had pancakes once a year, on pancake day.  I vowed that my own kids would get to enjoy them a bit more often than that!!  And they did.  What's really cool is that now my oldest son is carrying on the tradition.  I just love getting a text from him on Saturday telling me he's cooking pancakes for the boys!

 

These were one of the favourite types of pancakes I made my kiddos.  Silver Dollar pancakes . . . so called because they are about the size of a silver dollar.  They loved them because they could fit a whole one in their mouths at once . . . little piggies . . . I loved them because they were soft and tender and fluffy inside, with just a tiny bit of crunch and wholesomeness from the small addition of cornmeal.

 

I also love the name . . . silver dollar pancakes . . . sounds rich doesn't it!!  Scrummo!!  I sure wish my grandsons lived closer so that I could spoil them with these on a Saturday morning . . . oh well, Todd enjoys them so it's all good.

 

 *Silver Dollar Pancakes*
Makes about 18 3-inch pancakes
Printable Recipe

Simple and delicious.  Kids love them, both the young and the "old."  But then who wouldn't love a "Silver Dollar!"

200g of plain flour ( 2 cups)
2 TBS of coarse polenta, or yellow cornmeal
1 TBS baking powder
2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1/2 tsp salt
2 large free range eggs
500ml of buttermilk (2 cups)
5 TBS of sunflower oil
more oil for greasing the pan

Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, soda and salt together in a mixing bowl.  Beat the eggs until light and fluffy in another bowl.  Whisk in the buttermilk and the oil.  Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and add the liquid ingredients all at once.  Stir until just combined, without overmixing.  The batter will have small lumps.

Heat a griddle pan or heavy skillet over medium heat until a drop of water skips across the surface.  Lightly grease with some oil.  Using a ladle, spoon batter onto the griddle in scant 2 TBS measures, leaving a few inches between each pancake.  Cook until bubbles form on the surface and the edges are dry, with golden brown bottoms.  Flip over and cook for about 30 to 45 seconds longer until golden brown on the other side.  Keep warm in a low oven until ready to serve.  Repeat to use up all the batter.  Serve hot with butter and plenty of real Maple Syrup!

I think of all the cookies you can make or eat, oatmeal has to be my absolute favourite. There is something incredibly moreish to me about the wholesomeness of them.
I love the texture of the buttery oats and the slightly spiced flavours. I love mine chock full of raisins too. I know some don't like raisins, but I am a great raisin lover and thankfully so is the Toddster.



I love pancakes . . . almost as much as cookies, and maybe even more!! Pancakes for breakfast are a really superdy duperdy breakfast treat!! I always made them on Saturday mornings for my kids when they were growing up and they were a given for breakfast whenever we had someone visiting over night.



Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes are the best! You get all the wholesome and nutty flavour of a tasty Oatmeal Cookie . . . except in the glorious deliciousness of a breakfast pancake!



What could be better??? I don't think anything could! (Don't let the bad photography here today put you off of making these tasty little delights. They are the bomb!)



*Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Who wouldn't want a big fat oatmeal cookie pancake for breakfast??? These are fabulous and quite different and very, very tasty!

1.5 ounces of plain flour (1/3 cup)
7 ounces rolled oats (2 cups)
2 tsp caster sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp salt
2 large free range eggs, separated
500ml milk (2 cups)
1 tsp vanilla
1 TBS butter, melted
3 ounces sultana raisins (1/2 cup packed)
oil for cooking
Butter and Maple or Golden Syrup for serving

Preheat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat.

Blend together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. Beat the egg whites stiff in a small bowl. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks, milk, vanilla and butter together. combine the oat and the milk mixture together until smooth. Fold in the egg whites. Stir in the sultanas.

Brush the heated skillet or griddle with oil. Drop the batter by a heaped serving spoon onto the hot griddle. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown and the top is speckled with holes. Flip over and brown on the other side. Keep warm while you cook the remainder.

Serve warm with butter for spreading and Maple or Golden Syrup.



There's a Decadant Chocolate Mousse Tart over in The Cottage today!