Sometimes I need to hit the pause button on my life and remind myself what is that is important. To take the time to enjoy the time I have with those I love.
My life is a little hectic since I moved back to Chicago. I met Rick Bayless at a crazy awesome fundraiser for the French Pastry School’s scholarship fund. I got press credentials for the International Home & Housewares Show. I went to the Joy the Baker book signing. Busy busy.
There have been high school musicals with Blondie’s little sister and dinners with friends. There have been celebrations. But there has been precious little time to just be.
And Saturday mornings filled with cartoons and pancakes are that. Time to be. Time to relish my good fortune (see what I did there? used a food word that is also a verb that has nothing to do with food? yeah, I’ll stop). Time to enjoy Blondie without the world intruding.
When I can grab a quiet weekend morning, I like to make breakfast. Nothing fussy. Just delicious breakfast on a plate. Two people talking about everything and nothing at all. No twittering, no play stations. Ok, there might be cartoons streamed from Netflix (since what they make for children these days is just awful). And food.
You can use any syrup you like and swap out the fruit. Strawberries and chocolate syrup? Peaches and honey? These gluten-free pancakes will make any ordinary morning a stop and smell the roses kind of day.
| Bananas Foster Pancakes |
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- Syrup
- 60 grams (4 tbsp or 1/2 stick) butter
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) sugar
- 2 tbsp rum
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/8 tsp salt
- Pancakes
- 130 grams (1 scant cup) gluten-free all purpose flour (see note)
- 10 grams (1 tbsp) ground flax
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 15 grams (2 tbsp) sugar
- 10 grams (2 tsp) baking powder
- 235-330 grams (1 to 1 1/2 cups) milk, or more depending on the humidity (I used SoDelicious Coconut milk and any milk you have will work)
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 Tbsp melted butter or shortening plus extra for the pan
- 3 bananas, sliced in 1/4 inch rounds
- Combine all the ingredients in a medium sauce pan over moderate heat. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat.
- Set aside to top your syrup and make your pancakes.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, flax, salt, sugar and baking powder.
- Dig out your wooden spoon and add the egg and melted butter or shortening and stir like crazy to make sure that everything is evenly mixed.
- Add the milk a little at a time until the batter is just thin enough to pour. When it gets close, slow to adding the milk just a tablespoon at a time so it doesn’t get too thin.
- Heat a skillet or griddle pan over medium heat and add a little butter or cooking oil spray.
- When the pan is hot, pour 1/8 to 1/4 cup of the batter for each pancake in th skillet, making sure you leave enough room between the pancakes to fit your spatula.
- Top the pancakes with the banana slices and cook until the top is filled with bubbles (and new ones have stopped forming) and the underside is golden brown.
- When they are ready, flip the pancakes and cook on the second side for about a minute or so – you just want the bananas to caramelize and the second side to brown a little.
- Repeat until you run out of batter (this makes up to 12 small pancakes if you use the smaller amount)
*I like keeping a gluten-free all-purpose blend in my cabinet for easy baking and 99% of the time the blend in my kitchen is Cup4Cup). If you prefer to blend your own flours, this recipe lets you have a lot of range. I recommend the following flours: 60 grams (1/2 cup) sorghum flour, 25 grams (2 tbsp) sweet white rice flour, 40 grams (1/3 cup) tapioca starch.
**This recipe does not need xantham gum due to the flax (added for fiber) but it is ok if the blend that you use has it in it.
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