Fat Pancakes

It wasn't until I started reminiscing about my favourite childhood food memories that I remembered Nana Brownie's Christmas morning breakfast. We'd arrive at 8am with a pillowcase of presents from Father Christmas clutched in our hands all sugared up from eating Chocolate Santas.

Nana would be in the kitchen stirring pancake batter and checking the progress of the bacon, and Grandad would be in the lounge on his chair with a glass of ginger ale. Christmas morning breakfast was always the same: fat, fluffy American pancakes, crispy bacon (coated in flour before grilling for extra crunch), orange juice and gallons of real maple syrup sent over from Canada by Uncle John. I used to call them "Fat Pancakes" and still do...

FAT PANCAKES
250g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 free-range eggs, beaten
250ml milk
50g butter, melted
Butter for frying

• Sift the flour, baking powder and brown sugar into a bowl.- In another bowl, mix the eggs and milk.
• Combine wet ingredients into dry and add melted butter.
• Whisk with a balloon whisk until the batter is smooth.
• Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
• Heat a frying pan on a medium-high heat, then add a little butter.
• When butter is foamy, pour in a large cooking spoon of batter. Circle pan to spread the mixture.
• Cook for 1 minute or until golden, then flip to do the other side.
• Keep pancakes warm on a plate in a low oven
• Nana used to put a sprinkling of sugar between each layer.
• Serve in stacks with your choice of crsipy bacon, caramelised bananas, fresh fruit, real maple syrup, golden syrup or lemon and sugar.