A Perfect Pancake Day

So yesterday was Pancake Day and I thought we should go all out this year and just have a full day of pancake everything! And it's great because you can have savoury and sweet pancakes so they're basically an all day food, not just breakfast. I personally hadn't ever made savoury pancakes before so it was exciting to come up with an interesting flavor.

Now, I know it doesn't sound like the healthiest of days to celebrate but I did make sure we substituted in healthy ingredients where we could, like using whole grain and seeded flour instead of plain white flour, and all the pancakes came out beautifully! I even made a batch of dog friendly pancakes which really went down a treat. We're trying to fatten up our little girl doggy Frances since she was recently diagnosed with Addison's disease after not eating for 5 days straight. I think she had about 4 pancakes and still wanted more! (Recipes for all pancakes below)

Sweet Potato Pancakes for Dogs (makes about 9 medium sized pancakes)

Recipe:

1 cup (150g) whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 egg

1 cup (250ml) low fat milk

1 cup (200g) cooked and mashed sweet potato

2 Tbs olive oil, plus 1 more for the skillet

First mix all the dry ingredients well in a bowl. Crack the egg into the center then add the milk, sweet potato and olive oil and stir gently till well mixed. It will be lumpy but that's ok, don't over mix or pancakes will be tough. Heat oil in a large skillet or griddle pan on medium heat. Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter for each pancake, I use an actual 1/3 measuring cup to do this. Once bubbles start to form, flip the pancakes and let cook for a minute or so. Let all the pancakes cool off completely before feeding to your pooch. Hope they love 'em! 

Never disturb a man making crepes. Serious business.

Savoury filled crepe style pancakes over roasted shaved Brussels sprouts

Ingredients: 

For the Brussels sprouts-

1 1/2 lbs fresh Brussels sprouts, sliced thin

4 garlic cloves minced

1 red onion, sliced thin

3 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

For the crepes-

1 cup (150g) whole wheat flour

Pinch of salt

2 eggs

1 cup (250ml) milk + 1/4 cup (60ml) water

2 Tbsp melted butter, cooled

2 Tbsp olive oil

For the filling 

Grated Gruyere  

Diced cooked ham

Yellow mustard

Heat oven to 400f/200c. Mix all ingredients for the Brussels sprouts and roast for 20 minutes, tossing with a spatula occasionally. Remove and set aside. 

Now for the crepes, use a fork to mix the flour and salt well. I use a fork because I can't be bothered to sift and it actually turned out just fine. Anyway, fold in the egg, milk, water, melted butter and olive oil till well mixed but don't over mix, lumps are ok. Heat up a large non-stick skillet and add a dab of oil. Pour about half a cup of the batter into the hot skillet and tilt to evenly coat the bottom with the batter. When little bubbles start to form, loosen the edges of the crepe with a spatula and using the spatula to aid you, flip the crepe quickly. This can be pretty tricky but don't worry if you mess up, the scraps are just as tasty. 

Immediately after flipping, place the cheese and ham in a thick line down the middle. Let cook for about a minute then fold the sides of the crepe over the cheese and ham and press down gently. Scoop some of the roasted Brussels sprouts on a plate and lay the filled crepe on top of them. Enjoy with yellow mustard. 

And now for dessert....

Whole grain seeded buttermilk pancakes with fresh apple and rhubarb compote (makes 9 medium pancakes)

Ingredients:

For the compote-

1 stalk of rhubarb, chopped

2 green apples, peeled and chopped

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

3 Tbs brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

For the pancakes-

1 cup (150g) whole wheat seeded flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 Tbsp raw sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups (375ml) low fat buttermilk

2 Tbsp melted butter, cooled

First make the compote. Add all the compote ingredients to a small saucepan and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Turn of heat and cover. Now for the pancakes, mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Fold in the egg, buttermilk and melted butter and mix gently till all combined. Do not over mix or pancake will turn out tough.

Heat a drop of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Pour 1/3 cup of batter onto hot skillet for each pancake. Once bubbles start to form around the edges, flip. Once each pancake is done, place onto a plate and cover with foil to keep moist. Serve with a dollop of compote in between each pancake and for an extra treat top with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Yum!

PJJ xx