Pancakes and tequila

 I'm delighted that Katie brought the whole pancake question up. Not only is it a *much* more cheerful trope than anti-Valentines, but it filled an awkward 10 minutes at the start of my last departmental meeting when the boss was late from another meeting. Turns out, all my colleagues are pro-pancake, and quite a lot have proper Views. Including at least one who is in favour of an all-pancake Pancake Day: plenty of variety across three meals apparently. 

So that's what I bring you today - a sensible pre-Confined Cocktails tale of chocolate-banana-rye pancakes, which will soak up my Tommy's margarita nicely (I hope. I have not been a friend of tequila in the past, but I trust The Spirits. Will report). It's anti-Valentines in the sense it's very unromantic as a cocktail, rather than specifically against festivals of smush.

 

New Kitchen Basics has 10 chapters for 10 key ingredients, and I think the only one I've never used is chocolate. I meant to make some blondies from it but never got there. So there's a bit of completism in this. And a bit of pleased noticing that this needs an improbably small quantity of rye flour, of which I have an enormous and near-empty bag cluttering the cupboard. Anyway, it's delicious.

To make about 30% more than the plateful above (breakfast tomorrow, maybe?), you need tiny quantities: 1 egg, 20ml milk, 2/3 a banana with the rest to serve, 1 tbsp cocoa, a pinch of salt, 1 tbsp soft brown sugar. 

 

Blend that lot, then add 20g rye flour and about 7g rolled oats. Leave it for 5 minutes or so, probably to soften the oats a tad, and fry as spoonfuls, 2-3 mins a side. I added too much milk so mine are a tad thin, but still excellent.

Serve with maple syrup, or honey, or sliced banana, or nuts, or just possibly a grating of chocolate? Or all of that. Really, why not?