Pancake Tuesday – Thank You North America!

Youngest daughter recently returned from a semester in St. John’s University in Newfoundland. On returning to our island shore, she brought with her some education, a broadened mind, lots of St John’s branded clothes, some St. John’s Ice Caps promo material (Go Caps!) and a couple of tasty treats from that great continent. So in honour of both her return from Canada and in honor of the entire North American continent, I am preparing two kinds of Fluffy American Pancakes. 

I had not intended letting them have it all their own way. We were going to add some intensely flavoured Orchard Syrup to the mix but, the Canadian stuff tasted so good that we forgot to use it. This must be the first time I have included an ingredient and not used it rather than the reverse.

You don’t need to make out all the ingredients in the pic. Check the list.

The master list of ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 170 grammes of self-raising flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• A little salt – I used about half a teaspoon
• 375 ml of milk
• a little olive oil – I used about two tablespoons
• A bunch of blueberries – suit yourself on quantity
• Butter for frying

Put the dry ingredients (not the blueberries) into a bowl (no need to sieve).

Pouring shot number one. The dry ingredients. Not a lot to be said about them, is there?

Mix the wet ingredients with a fork. This includes the eggs. They are wet when you take them out of the shells.

This shot is the second of four pouring shots. Four is a record for me in a post.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and get busy with the fork again. Stop beating when the batter is smooth.

The fork beating takes a couple of minutes only. No excuses.

Wash the bowl from the wet ingredients and add half the mixture to that bowl. You could just dirty another bowl but what the hell. Mix the blueberries into one or other bowl. Whichever bowl you choose, you can now call the Super Bowl because this is as American as pancakes can get.

Yes, the Super Bowl. No, I have no shame.

Next thing is to melt some butter in a pan (skillet) and fry a couple of pancakes. The mixture is pretty think and not what we Europeans think of as pancakey.

Pancakes in the pan. They are ready to turn when little holes appear in the top of the batter.

The first pair almost done. They get even thicker when they are turned.

My Mum saw these and told me that they used to be called Muffins. Let’s not confuse the issue.

Side note of clarification: I could launch into a piece about Biscuits, Pancakes, Muffins and Cookies and the different things we mean when we talk across the Atlantic. Thankfully for you, I’m not going there. 

My first plated shot. with the delicious Blueberry Sauce. They tasted every bit as good as they looked.

Pouring shot number three. I admit that I used a cup of cold coffee as a prop. Nice cup all the same.

Next up is the Super Bowl mixture. Just like so many games played in that hallowed competition, a bit lumpy in places.

Pancakes with blueberries in the pan. Oh, the anticipation.

I just could not resist another shot of them cooking. Forgive me.

Pancakes with blueberries in the pan. They look GREAT!

Canadian Maple Syrup being poured over the blueberry pancakes.

Same cup of cold coffee. Different pancakes. Pour number four.

Thank you North America for the beautiful pancake ideas. Thank you Canada for the delicious maple syrup and blueberry sauce. Thank you St. John’s for the safe return of youngest daughter. We managed to use all the syrup in one sitting. Do you think they would take her back for a while longer?