Vanilla Scotch Pancakes s/w Dark Chocolate Ganache

Rainy Sunday's Tea/Coffee Break: 

Vanilla Scotch Pancakes 

(again??? Pancake Festival ...ehhh, Miss Anne ?!?) 

s/w Dark Chocolate Ganache & wild honey or maple syrup.

— feeling Pancake at via AnnaVanilla.

Ingredients:
{For dark chocolate ganache}
150 g dark chocolate
75 ml whipping cream

• Chop the chocolate and melt in a bowl over hot water. Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside. Heat the cream until hot, but not simmering, and pour it into the chocolate. Stir the cream and the chocolate together until well combined. Continue stirring until the mixture has cooled and is smooth and glossy.

{For the pancakes}

225 g plain flour, sifted

1 tablespoon caster sugar

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 eggs

300 ml milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

(alternatively butter milk or single cream)

1 teaspoon brandy or vanilla rum or water

50 g butter, melted

butter for frying

• Sift the flour, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Stir in sugar. Make a well in the centre and break in the eggs. Work the flour into the eggs and gradually add the milk, brandy or vanilla rum , vanilla essence and melted butter to make a smooth and thick batter.  Cook the batter as soon as it is prepared.
• Heat a heavy frying flat pan, about 16 cm diameter (or ideally, a griddle pan), add a knob of butter and as soon as it begins to foam, hold a spoonful of batter high above the pan and drop the batter, holding the spoon vertically. Cook until bubbles appear and edges begin to dry but still slightly moist on top . Then turn and cook the other side until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter. To keep the pancakes warm until all the batter has been cooked, place them in a heated dish lined with warmed tea-towel and cover.
• Serve with dark chocolate ganache, maple syrup (or wild honey) and a scoop of vanilla ice-cream (or whipped cream or plain yogurt). 

Enjoy!

Did you know......that today is Waffle Iron Day? Waffle Iron Day celebrates this great kitchen gadget that makes tasty waffles. The waffle dates back to the 1300s when Greeks cooked flat cakes between two metal pans and topped them with cheese and herbs.
If you don't have a waffle iron, today is a good day to go out and buy one. If you are too busy to make waffles yourself, buy some frozen in your fav. grocery store, or order them out at a restaurant or a cafe-bistro. Either way, please enjoy your waffles! 

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Choco-Coffee Scotch Pancakes w/ layered Baked-Apple & Bacon strips

Aimer, c'est agir. {to love is to act}
--Victor Hugo 

 When the heart (& tummy) are calling, It's wise to take action! 

Friendship, Love, Joy and Happiness -----> two-way street + interaction. 

  

Nothing beats homey choco-coffee scotch pancake, layered brown-butter-grilled apple, dark chocolate-drizzled bacon strips...s/w wild-flower honey or maple syrup & homey soy yogurt! Really worth my sweat on Sunday morning! 

I personally love the taste of "Sucré-Salé" {literally translated as sweet 'n' salty}tapas. Anne's favourite: 

a slice of french bread, topped with Brie cheese, grilled...and s/w maple syrup. or without maple syrup but with caramelized onion...hmmmm...

Today's dark chocolate drizzled bacon strips (grilled) = my first experience...love it too!

My confession: 

In fact, I made coffee-glazed bacon...then I did the washing whilst leaving the bacon strips in the mini-oven... without timer-setting. It turned out that all the strips became "charcoal". I felt terribly sorry for my tummy...for the untimely loss of coffee-glazed bacon...(sigh) 

Luckily enough that the fire alarm didn't beep...and no screaming neighbours... phew!!!

p.s No matter what goes wrong....Life goes on!
Dark chocolate is calling...I've got to go now...

For baked apples:
Core the apples and slice into 4 pieces each. 

Sprinkle with lime juice. Place the apple slices in a buttered foil dish, 

fill with brown sugar and dot with butter. Bake at 180 for 15-20 minutes. 

The making of choco-coffee pancake...with a normal small-sized pan..
.for those who haven't got any griddle pan.
Note* One tablespoon of mixture makes one 6 cm-Ø- pancake
(even smaller than traditional scotch pancakes which is at about 3.5 in / 9 cm in diameter). 
So you can have a good excuse for being immoderate...size does matter...oh yes!

For the pancakes:

220 g plain flour, sifted

1 tablespoon cacao powder

1 teaspoon instant coffee

1,5 tablespoon caster sugar

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 eggs

300 ml milk 

(alternatively butter milk or single cream)

1 teaspoon brandy or vanilla rum or water

50 g butter, melted

butter for frying

• Sift the flour, cacao powder, coffee powder, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Stir in sugar. Make a well in the centre and break in the eggs. Work the flour into the eggs and gradually add the milk, brandy or vanilla rum and melted butter to make a smooth and thick batter.  Cook the batter as soon as it is prepared.
• Heat a heavy frying flat pan, about 16 cm diameter (or ideally, a griddle pan), add a knob of butter and as soon as it begins to foam, hold a spoonful of batter high above the pan and drop the batter, holding the spoon vertically. Cook until bubbles appear and edges begin to dry but still slightly moist on top . Then turn and cook the other side until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter. To keep the pancakes warm until all the batter has been cooked, place them in a heated dish lined with warmed tea-towel and cover.
• When ready to serve, decorate the plate with dark chocolate circles, cherry tomatoes, bran flakes and dried raisins. Sandwich eachh pancake with baked apple slices. Top with dark chocolate drizzled bacon strips (grilled or baked) and serve immediately with wild honey or maple syrup and soy yogurt or whipped cream. Enjoy!

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Open-Faced Omelette with Herbs, Ham & Tomato

Open-faced Omelette with herbs, ham 'n' fresh tomato. 

Ideally s/w Tabasco or fresh Apple slices or apple salsa ....yummm! 

Note*

1. for CHEESE lovers, you can add a slice of Emmenthal or grated Gruyère in the ingredients too. 

2. You can also use 1 teaspoon butter + 1 teaspoon Olive oil together --------> lovely combination/flavour!

3. for more beautiful result, please use sliced tomatoes, instead of diced ones...then place them on top of the omelette (apple pie fashion) when the eggs begin to cook...

serving per person

(I used a 16 cm-∅-pan)

• Place eggs and salt in a bowl with yogurt and beat lightly with a fork until just combined.
• Heat olive oil (and/or butter) in a small frying pan over medium heat. Then add in chopped garlic and pour in egg mixture. As the eggs begin to cook, place chopped herbs and ham on top, followed by diced or sliced tomato (and your choice of cheese). Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes.
• In case you use cheese, place the pan under a preheated grill to finish cooking the eggs and melt the cheese.
• Slide the finished omelette onto a warm serving plate and place the remaining chopped spring onions for garnish. Finish with a grinding of black pepper.

Enjoy your breakfast!

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