Pancakes were not something we had very often when I was growing up. We had them once a year, for supper, on Shrove Tuesday. They were a real treat. My mother had a huge round griddle pan tha she had gotten with her Wear Ever Aluminium Cookware set.
She would stand there ladling pancakes onto it a few at a time, until they were all cooked. I imagine it was a bit of a chore as the griddle pan was bowed in the middle and I can remember it turning around on the burner whenever I used it. I am sure she found it quite annoying. I know I did.
The only other pan she had for frying in was a small 10-inch frying pan that came from the same set. The set of pots and pans was bought the first year they got married, in 1954. It was still being used when she passed away last year. 64 years.
That's an incredibly long time in the life of any pan I'd say. My parents would have celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary this year. That makes me sad to think about.
They got divorced when I was in my 30's, but remained good friends for the rest of my mother's life. Admittedly it was a bit touch and go at the start, but once the dust all settled things were good. That was the greatest gift my parents could have ever given us. It enabled us to be able to love our parents equally without having to feel like we needed to divide our loyalties. Not everyone is so blessed.
My father still calls the house when he knows my sister isn't there, just so he can hear the telephone message that my mother recorded a while back. He loves to hear her voice. He says he always leaves a message. He misses her. The greatest gift a father can give his children is to love their mother. I know my father loved my mother. He was just not the saying marryied kind of man.
Anyways, pancakes! When my own children were growing up, I made pancakes on Shrove Tuesday for supper of course, and thenm anytime they had a friend stay over or on special occasions (like Birthdays) I would make them for breakfast.
My oldest son makes them for his boys every Saturday morning. They are a tradition. And I think a very tasty one.
If I had had a recipe as simple as this sheet pan pancake I think I might have made pancakes even more often, although I would have had to double the with my crew! My two oldest boys would have gobbled this up all by themselves!
You can of course just bake it plain . . . but then again, why not make things a little bit more special with just a few additions . . .
I totally adore lemon curd and blueberries. It seemed only natural to combine the two in this fabulously tasty pancake!
Each quarter of the pancake was drizzled with some lemon curd and then topped with a few blueberries prior to baking in a very hot oven. After only 15 minutes bake time it is ready to serve . . .
Cut into quarters and served hot with a few extra berries and a drizzle of your favourite pancake syrup. In our case, pure maple syrup . . .
I did dust them with some icing sugar to brighten them up a bit for the camera, but its not necessary if you are just making them for your family.
I think if mom could have made pancakes as easy as these we might have been treated to them a lot more often!
Blueberry & Lemon Sheet Pan Pancake
Yield: 4
This delicious pancake bakes in the oven. It bakes in 15 minutes and is hands free rather than standing over the stove cooking individual pancakes, leaving you to get on with other things. Simply cut into four squares when done. Serve with additional berries and your favourite pancake syrup.
Ingredients:
- 175g plain flour (1 cup + 4 1/2 TBS)
- 2 TBS sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large free range egg
- 240ml buttermilk (1 cup)
- 2 TBS butter melted
- 4 TBS lemon curd, thinned with a bit of lemon juice
- 20 blueberries, plus more to serve
- your favourite pancake syrup to serve
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 230*C/450*F/ gas mark 7. Line a small rimmed baking sheet with foil, leaving an overhang to lift it out and then spray it generously with some canola oil spray. (Mine is 10 inches square)
- Whisk the flour, soda, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a bowl. Whisk together the egg, buttermilk and melted butter. Add all at once to the flour mixture and stir together just to combine. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it out evenly.
- Whisk your lemon curd and a bit of lemon juice together until it is thin enough to drizzle comfortably. (Depending on your lemon curd, you may not need any.) Dividing the pancake into quarters, drizzle some of the lemon curd decoratively into each quarter. Place five blueberries into each quarter, spacing them out evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 14 to 16 minutes, until golden brown and the edges have started to pull away from the side of the pan. Remove from the oven. Lift out onto a cutting board and cut into squares to serve.
- Serve hot with some additional berries and your favourite pancake syrup to drizzle over top.
I love the mix of just a few cooked berries and the some fresh berries scattered over top when you go to eat them. The lemon curd isn't overpowering, but adds a subtle touch of sweet moreish lemon. In all truth these are excellent even without any syrup. Truth.
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