Banana’s Foster Pecan Pancakes with a Side of Bacon!
When the smoke alarm goes off in the morning, everyone in the house knows that “Breakfast is ready”! No. It has nothing to do with my cooking ability, but everything to do with the fact that the contractor for my house located the smoke alarm pretty much right over my oven. So every time I use the broiler or ignite something on my stove, it sets off the smoke alarm.
Breakfast, if my son is around, will definitely include bacon. I prefer my bacon crispy and he prefers it chewy. In my kitchen, bacon is cooked under the broiler, not in a frying pan. Yes, I was raised in the South. No, it is not hersey. It is much easier, especially if you are cooking bacon for several people. With the oven method, you can actually easily achieve both crispy and chewy bacon.
So, how does one go about cooking bacon in the oven? Easy. Lay your bacon out on a broiling pan. You know, the one with slots in it. Place under a broiler set at 400 degrees. In 2-5 minutes, you will take the pan out and flip the bacon over in the pan. Back into the oven for another 2-5 minutes. Times will vary oven to oven, so keep an eye on it. Once you see the bacon come to the desired “chewy” state, remove the pan. If you want part of the bacon crispy, remove the chewy bacon and leave bacon you want crispy on the pan. Return the pan to the oven and cut the heat off. Bacon will crisp up nicely in another 2-5 minutes.
So what are we having with our bacon?
Today we are going with pancakes. But since it is a “special occasion”, we are going to amp up the ordinary pancake by making a Bananas Foster topping. Let’s start with our standard pancake batter.
Basic Pancake Batter
- 1 Overly Ripe Banana
- 1 Egg
- 2 Cups Self Rising flour
- ¾ to 1 Cup of Buttermilk
- I start by mashing my banana with a fork in my 8 cup Pyrex measuring cup. I like using this for making pancake batter because it is large enough to mix in, but still allows me to pour the batter onto my griddle. No other utensils or spoons needed. Less cleanup.
2. To the mashed banana, I add my egg and combine thoroughly.
3. I then add the flour and half the milk and begin to mix. I continue to add milk until I get the thickness that I want. I like a medium thickness to my batter. I have found over the years that sometimes I need more milk, sometimes I need less milk. So I always start with half the amount, stir, and then continue to add more milk until I get the batter where I want it.
At this point, I actually set aside my batter for a couple of minutes while I get my Bananas Foster started and finished the two simultaneously. If you are not quite ready for this challenge, finish the pancakes first or have a helper on pancake duty.
4. For today’s recipe, I am going to add a few toasted pecans. But you can use whatever add ins you desire. Just wait until you pour the batter on the grill to add. Don’t put them directly into the batter.
5. You know when your pancakes are ready to flip when they form bubbles at the top and along the sides.
6. Check the underside of the pancakes for done-ness.
Bananas Foster
Per serving, you will need:
- 1 Banana (medium ripe)
- 1-2 Tablespoon of Butter (don’t use margarine)
- 1-2 Tablespoons of Brown Sugar
- Rum
(If you want a lot of sauce use the 2 tablespoons, if you want less you can get by with 1.)
- Put your butter in a fry pan over medium heat and melt.
- Add your sliced banana. You are going to saute the banana until it begins to show a little brown color. This will not take long.
Since I have my batter ready next to my grill. I am going to pour my batter and top with pecans while my bananas start to color. Super important not to take long. We don’t want our bananas to over cook.
3. Once the bananas start to color in the butter, flip them over. Color the bananas on the other side before you add your brown sugar.
4. Add the brown sugar and cook with the bananas and butter for a minute or two so that it caramelizes slightly.
Now for the fun part!
5. I tilt my pan with the bananas, so that the mixture moves to one side. Then I add my rum. How much rum? A dash, somewhere around 1-2 tablespoons, but for me it is one “glub”. Now if you have a gas stove top and you keep your pan tilted the rum will ignite, and… the smoke alarm will go off. That’s OK. Breakfast is nearly ready! When the flame extinguishes (which will happen on it’s own), pour banana and sauce over your pecan pancakes (if they are already done).
Can you omit the rum? Well… yes. You could add a dash of rum extract. But I like the real thing.
Now you have a Breakfast fit for a King ….or Queen! Add a strawberry or two, maybe orange slices and you have a beautiful breakfast!
Enjoy! Oh yeah and Happy Mother’s Day!
Aunt Patty's Porch 