Batter Hurry Up And Cook Mom's Present

Mar 2 2008 Michael Kilkie

Food

In case you forgot, it's Mother's Day today - but it's not too late to give her a present...just make my classic brunch dish of American-style pancakes with bacon and maple syrup.

This meal appears in the huge eat-all-you-can breakfast buffets in hotels and diners all over the US.

For any type of pancakes, whether it be these fluffy ones or the much thinner French-style crepes, what you are making is batter.

The foundations of most batters is flour, eggs and a liquid, mostly milk.

These ingredients can vary. Buttermilk is often used in pancakes and some people like a mix of milk and water. Melted butter is another key ingredient in many pancake recipes.

There are lots of variations. Sweet pancakes with fruit such as blueberries through the batter are popular in the US.

What differentiates thin and thick pancakes is the raising agents used. Thin crepes don't need to rise but you have to add baking powder to make the airy, fluffy American-style pancakes.

The other thing to look out for is the thickness of the batter. The thinner the batter, the thinner the pancake - and vice versa.

For today's recipe you want a thick batter that will hold its shape in the pan, whereas crepe batter is ideally thin and will spread and coat the pan.

I use butter for cooking pancakes but it can easily burn if the temperature is too high. If you don't feel confident, use a flavourless oil such as groundnut with a much higher burning point.

A good non-stick pan is essential for making pancakes.

A final word of warning: don't panic if your first couple are rubbish - it normally takes a few goes to get the temperature and amount of batter needed correct.

AMERICAN PANCAKES WITH BACON AND MAPLE SYRUP

MAKES ABOUT 14-16

270g plain flour 2 large eggs beaten

2tsp baking powder 4tbsp melted butter

1tsp salt Butter for frying

4tbsp caster sugar 2 packs bacon

260ml milk Maple syrup

METHOD

Sift together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl.

Mix together the milk, eggs and butter and whisk in to the flour mix. Let the batter stand for 10mins.

Heat a knob of butter in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and ladle in a dollop of batter. Repeat until the pan is full. This will obviously vary depending on the size of your pan.

Cook for about 2mins on either side until golden brown and risen. Repeat until all the pancakes are done. Keep them warm in your oven until they are all finished.

While you are doing this, cook the bacon until crispy. Top the pancakes with bacon and pour maple syrup over them to serve.

If your mum has a sweet tooth, why not give her a treat? Make pancakes as below. In another pan, place a punnet of blueberries with a splash of water and 1tbsp of sugar. Heat it until the blueberries begin to burst and the mix thickens. Add a little vanilla extract or essence and finely chopped fresh mint. Serve with vanilla ice cream and the blueberry coulis poured over.