That time of year has crêped up on us once again. With Pancake Day just around the corner, in this week’s episode of Chef Brain Patrick and Nicola were given the ingredients for a basic pancake batter (flour, eggs, milk) and tasked with the challenge of turning them into either a savoury or sweet pancake.

If you’ve ever wondered what the world record for the highest pancake flip was, or tried to crack the secret to a perfect pancake batter, then you’re about to find out. Packed with tips and ideas for pancake day, Nicola created a savoury recipe that’d be perfect for your main, whilst Patrick’s decadent recipe would be perfect for dessert…

Fluffy Chef Brain Banoffee Pancakes

Ingredients

• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 large ripe banana
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Add the buttermilk to a large bowl. Whisk in the mashed banana, eggs, butter, and vanilla into the buttermilk.
2. To a medium bowl, add the the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together to combine.
3. Pour the dry ingredients over the wet and mix just until incorporated. Do not overmix! Let the batter rest for about 5 minutes. It should form bubbles and rise just a bit.
4. Place a large frying pan over medium heat. Melt a little butter on the cooking surface, spreading it evenly. Pour the batter onto the frying pan. The pancakes are ready to flip when they look a little dry around the edges and start to form little bubbles (about a minute).
5. Flip and cook on the other side until golden brown and the cooked through.
6. Layer with whipped cream, dulce de leche, bananas and chocolate shavings.

Nicola’s Hoisin Duck Pancakes

[columns_row width=”half”] [column] Ingredients: 

2 cups of milk

2 cups of flour

1 egg

Cooked Duck

Cucumber

Spring Onions

Hoisin Sauce

[/column] [column] Method:

1. Mix the pancake ingredients together until smooth and leave to sit for five minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, finely chop your spring onion and cucumber into thin matchsticks. Pull the cooked duck meat off the bone.

3. Now for the pancakes….Carefully pour a little bit of the pancake mix into the pan, tip the pan in a circular motion so that they are nice and round! They’re cooked when they are slightly golden and no longer raw in the middle.

4. Serve up. Place a little bit of hoisin sauce on the pancake and top with duck, spring onion and cucumber.  in warm the cooked duck. cut cucumber, spring onion and the cooked duck.

[/column] [/columns_row]