Banana Pancakes!

These banana pancakes are one of the TASTIEST and EASIEST EVER breakfasts! Inspired by the classic Bali banana pancakes you'll be transported back to holiday-mode with these crispy, caramelised pancakes with slices of fresh banana and coconut. This is a pushy recipe Dear Reader especially for Shrove Tuesday coming up tomorrow!

Events like Shrove Tuesday always sneak up on me but I was so sick of missing out on a reason to make pancakes for the blog that last year I put in a reminder on my calendar. The tradition of serving pancakes on Shrove Tuesday started as it was the last day to have something indulgent before Lent starts (that involves 40 days of fasting). Pancakes were handy as they used up food that would spoil during Lent like eggs, butter and milk.

As luck would have it the reminder popped up while we were in the Blue Mountains a couple of weeks ago. I had a big hand of bananas in my vege box that I had brought with me so I took it as the opportunity to make some of my favourite ever pancakes: banana pancakes. These pancakes are based on Balinese banana pancakes where thin slices of banana are cooked into the pancake and are really something special yet so simple. Mr NQN never got sick of these and I made them over 8 days in a row. He ate them for breakfast, he ate them for dessert. I only stopped making them once I ran out of bananas.

Tips for Making Banana Pancakes

1 - Make sure to use firm bananas. This recipe only really works if the bananas are sliced really thinly. The slices need to be really thin to flip the pancake properly and not break.

2 - For best results use a non stick frying pan. If you have a special non stick crepe pan that is even better.

3 - Don't worry if the batter seems thin. This is really not a fat, fluffy pancake. This is more a thin, crispy edged caramelised crepe.

4 - This recipe makes four 26cm/10inch pancakes but can easily be halved or doubled depending on how many you want to make.

5 - I fry pancakes in butter but you can also use oil if you prefer.

6 - For breakfast I serve them with honey and yogurt but for dessert I serve them with vanilla ice cream.

7 - You can also roll up the banana pancakes for a different presentation.

We had a great time in the Blue Mountains and this trip was different. We usually just stay for a weekend which can feel a bit rushed but this time we were staying for a whole 5 days. It's a different mood in the mountains once Monday hits. A restaurateur once told me that locals come out on Mondays once visitors leave and it definitely has a less frantic pace than on weekends. Everyone seems more relaxed and just doing their own thing.

On this trip we brought along the two dogs and Milo even had a celebrity encounter. We were taking the dogs for a walk and then saw a familiar face. It was a young woman who had bent down to pet both Teddy and Milo. It was Teo from one of our favourite shows Love On The Spectrum! Monica had only just met Michael from the show the week before and here we were having our own Love on the Spectrum encounter. She was absolutely lovely and exactly like she was on the show and chatted with us for a while. She even commented on Milo's very white teeth, which is something of a pride point of mine as I make sure that Milo's teeth stay as white as possible. Teo seemed to love cuddling Milo and he was as big a fan of her as she was of him.

So tell me Dear Reader, do you like banana pancakes? Do you make pancakes for Shrove Tuesday? Have you ever watched Love On The Spectrum?

Banana Pancakes

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4

• 400ml/14flozs. milk
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 150g/5ozs plain all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 40g/1.4ozs melted butter plus more for frying
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons desiccated coconut
• 2 small bananas, firm (no brown spots)
• Honey for serving (optional)

Step 1 - Whisk the milk and eggs together in a large jug until combined well. In a bowl add the flour, cinnamon and salt and make a well in the centre. Gradually add in the milk mixture whisking and incorporating the flour slowly until you get a smooth mixture. Adding in the flour gradually results in little to no lumps in the batter. Whisk in the melted butter and place back in a jug for easy pouring. Slice the bananas very thinly on the diagonal.

Step 2 -Have the butter, brown sugar and coconut ready. Heat a 26cm/10inch non stick pan on medium heat and add a small pat of butter. Pour a quarter of the pancake batter in the pan swirling so that it reaches the edges.

Step 3 -Leave the base to set for 1 minute and then place the banana slices on top. I add about 6-7 slices of banana per pancake and then allow the top to set (i.e. when you tip the pan there should be no runny batter). Scatter 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of coconut across the pancake. Then gently flip the pancake over adding a bit more butter if needed. Fry for 1 minute and then place a plate over the pan and flip it over so that the caramelised bananas are on top. Serve this with honey if desired, ice cream or yogurt.