I cooked this dish for my wife, Pam, on her first Mother's Day and she was very happy, not only with the pancakes, but most of all, to be holding our brand-new baby, Luke, in her arms. I'll never forget it.
He's 4 years old now and boy, how time flies. It feels just yesterday that he was a little baby and now he seems all grown up.
I have a feeling this Mother's Day he is going to be just as happy to have banana pancakes as his mom.
This delicious breakfast and a nice bouquet of flowers should show all the moms in your life that you love them.
Banana pancakes with honey walnut butter
Makes 12 pancakes
2 ripe bananas
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons canola oil for cooking the pancakes
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. In another bowl whisk together the milk and eggs, then add the melted butter and blend together well. Add the dry ingredients and mix, but do not over mix the batter.
In a skillet over medium heat with a little canola oil, spoon about 2 tablespoons of batter into the pan for each pancake. If the pan is large enough, cook three pancakes at a time. Cook until golden brown (about 3 to 4 minutes ) then lay 3 or 4 slices of banana in each pancake, turn over and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown. Set on a warm plate to the side, wipe out the pan and repeat the process until all the batter is cooked.
Honey walnut butter
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoons orange zest, chopped
In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix together with a fork until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until the pancakes are ready.
When you serve the pancakes, stack then on a plate with a little bit of honey walnut butter between each pancake. Put the rest of the butter on the table in case someone wants more.
Tips and techniques:
. Make sure the melted butter has cooled off a bit before you mix it with the milk and eggs.
. Don't skimp on the syrup; most inexpensive syrups have artificial maple flavoring.
. A non-stick, rectangular griddle is a good investment if you cook pancakes often.
. Let the butter set out for a little while before you mix in the honey, walnuts and orange zest. This will make it easier to blend them together.
Contact Chris Kennedy at Seasoned Catering at (561) 351-0221, or e-mail chris@seasonedcatering.com.