Monday 26 August 2013

The Best Ever American Pancakes

I have had my fair share of pancakes, and why not? Pancakes are probably the best breakfast food ever invented right? Personally, I think the best type of pancakes are American pancakes. For what seems like forever I have been trying to find a recipe that I really like, my go-to recipe if you wish. And now finally I have found it.



You can make these pancakes plain, add blueberries, chocolate chips or even bananas. I prefer them plain, served with a thick summer fruit sauce and maple syrup.

P.S. It might seem like there is a lot of elements to this and a fair few number of ingredients but I promise it is worth the effort.

American Pancakes
Ingredients:

> 230g plain flour
> 40g cornflour
> 1tsp salt
> 4tbsp Caster Sugar
> 1tsp Vanilla essence
> 1tsp baking powder
> 1tsp baking soda
> 2 large eggs
> 4tbsp melted butter
> 160ml milk
> 100ml, 150g plain yougurt
> 2tsp vinegar

Method:
1. Sift the plain flour, cornflour, salt, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla essence and melted butter. Stir slightly.

2. Mix together the milk, plain yogurt and vinegar in a jug and leave to stand for a minute or two, this will make buttermilk.

3. Separate the eggs and add the yolk to the flour mixture. Whisk the whites and place aside.

4. Whisk the buttermilk into the flour mixture. Whisk until smooth.

5. Take one tablespoon of the egg whites and whisk it into the mixture. Fold the rest of the egg whites into the mixture.

6. You can make the pancakes straight away or leave the mixture in the fridges for up to two days.

7. When you want some pancakes, heat a frying pan and melt a knob of butter on a medium low heat. To make the perfect size pancakes add 1/3 of a cup of the mixture. If you are adding additional ingredients, now would be the time to do it before flipping the pancake. Flip the pancake when bubbles have started to form and the underside is golden.

8. Serve the pancakes in stacks of 3 with your choice of toppings.

9. Happy Pancake Eating!




Tuesday 20 August 2013

Cheats Chocolate Croissants

It's always nice to impress people with your creations but sometimes its just nice to whip up something quickly that still tastes great and is almost the same  as if you did the real thing. That is exactly what this is, a cheats recipe. With only 3 ingredients, and 10 minutes prep time I really don't think this recipe could get any better.


Cheats Chocolate Croissants

Ingredients:
> 1 pack puff pastry
> Nutella
> Egg yolk

Method:

1. Roll out the puff pastry and then cut the puff pastry into triangles. The base of the triangle will determine the size of your croissant. Make sure the sides are longer than the base. This is hard to explain in words but I found the best way to do this was to cut the pastry first into rectangles and then into triangles. If you look at the pictures then you should understand, I hope....

2. Place somewhere between, a half and a whole teaspoon of nutella at the base of the pastry. The size of your croissant will determine the amount of nutella needed.

3. Starting at the base of your triangle, roll up the triangle and bend the edges slightly so that you get more of a 'croissant' shape.

4. Place the croissants on a baking tray and brush the tops of the croissant with the egg yolk. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 180C, until the croissants are golden and the bottom is cooked. Cool slightly and serve warm.

5. Voila!