Chocolate-chip Pancakes & Sautéed Bananas

While every day is a day we get to love and show our love for one another, February 14 is the day when we join with the rest of world to celebrate love. Everyone has his or her own of saying I love you, and for many of us it is to cook, create, or make something, using our own hands to express our appreciation and fondness.

These Chocolate-chip pancakes with Sautéed Bananas are a great way to start or end the day.

Yield: 8 – 9

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

• Wire/cooling rack
• 10 x 3-inch square pieces of greaseproof/wax paper
• Non-stick pan or flat iron griddle such as a tawah

INGREDIENTS

For pancakes:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• A pinch salt
• A pinch ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 ½ cups whole milk (substitute with water)
• 4 heaped tablespoons chocolate chips (semi-sweet or regular)
• Canola oil
• Maple or your preferred syrup for pancakes, or honey

For sautéed bananas:

• 3 ripe bananas peeled and sliced into ½ inch rounds
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 teaspoons canola or any neutral tasting oil

DIRECTIONS

For pancakes:

1. Add flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon to a bowl and mix together.
2. Add eggs and milk to make a batter of dropping consistency (you may need more or less milk/water depending on your location). The batter should not be thin or watery.
3. Cover batter and let rest for at least ½ hour. The longer it rests, the higher the pancakes will rise.
4. Fold in chocolate chips just before cooking pancakes.
5. Add a few drops of oil to a non-stick pan and swirl. Heat on medium heat. If using a tawah or griddle, heat up pan first then brush with oil.
6. Pour or ladle 1/3 cup of batter in/on to pan and swirl with the back of a spoon. Spread batter to about 4 inches in circle. Let cook until bubbles or holes start to form. Flip pancakes (do not slam down) and continue cooking until it comes away easily from the pan. Do not press down on pancakes while they are cooking.

7.Remove cooked pancake and place on wire rack or paper towel. Repeat until all the batter is used up. Insert a piece of wax paper between each pancake when it is done cooking to avoiding steaming and sticking (this is when you are stacking the pancakes).

8. Pancakes can be kept warm in a 200 degrees F oven while you continue making the others.

For sautéed bananas:

1. Add butter and oil to a pan and place on medium heat to melt. When the froth from the butter subsides, add the bananas to the pan, spread them into a single layer, you want each piece to make contact with the pan (cook in batches if your pan is small). Let cook for 1 minute or until it starts to caramelize a little. Flip, cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
2. Spoon over pancakes, drizzle with syrup or honey and serve.