King Kong's Breakfast

Soffici Frittelle di Banana con Mandorle e Uvetta
Fluffy Banana Pancakes with Almonds and Raisins

Ok- enough with those flat little British-styled pancakes this morning! Today I have decided to go positively high-rise, and I mean Empire State Building high! If King Kong could do it- then so can I! So, before I get shot down by a fleet of bi-planes, here is my man-sized answer to those early morning hunger pangs, with a giant-ape-sized serving of bananas that would keep the big guy himself satisfied...

To be honest, I was quite surprised myself as to quite how fluffy these things became, simply by beating the egg whites until they were nice and firm and then adding them back into the mix. 

Of course that is not exactly rocket science! But at the same time, I wouldn't be ME if I didn't do a little something or other to add and improve to something tried and tested... and this is what I did! 

Separate the yolks and whites of 2 eggs. Let's begin with the yolks. Add a tablespoon of sugar, 3 tablespoons of flour, 2 tablespoons of grated coconut, some grated orange zest, a pinch of nutmeg, a hint of vanilla, a teaspoon of cinnamon and whisk into a smooth paste. Slowly add a half-cup of lukewarm milk, making sure to keep mixing at a slower speed. Allow the mixture to rest for 2-3 minutes. In the meantime you can beat the egg whites until fluffy and firm and set to one side.

I sliced the banana in half lengthways and then into quarters. And then the slices broke up on me. This is by way of explanation, in case you are wondering where the inspiration came from for the wonderfully decorative presentation! Sometimes, you know... life is too short and you just want to eat! 

So I prepared a handful of almonds and raisins and got myself ready to put my epic pancake together. From this point on, things needed to move swiftly, as I was relying on the egg whites to give the pancake the body and fluffiness I wanted. 

And from the moment you mix the yolks back in, the whites WILL begin to collapse on themselves. 

So snap to it!

Take a spoonful of the fluffy egg whites and fold it into the egg yolk mixture. Once this is incorporated, it will help the rest of the egg whites to blend in better and with less stirring and folding. Good tip. You are about to groan, but yes, I did make this in a fat-free pan. You can use butter if you like- but there seriously is no need. Get the pan nice and hot and add your fluffy pancake mix. After about a minute, add the banana slices, the almonds and the raisins decoratively. And yes, I am sure you will do a better job than I did. All you need to do now is to transfer your pan to a pre-heated oven for 2-3 minutes. That is all it will take. And maybe a final minute or so with the broiler to give it a great color. 

Now wasn't that easy?

By giving the egg yolk batter a little warm milk and a few minutes to do its stuff, the flour begins to "evolve" into an almost dough-like consistency. So the result was like a cross between an American pancake and an Italian breakfast brioche. I gave mine a simple dusting of powdered sugar and wolfed it down before checking my facebook and reading a suggestion from one of my "fans", that it would taste wonderful with a nice chocolate sauce... mmmm! 

What a great idea! 

A couple of spoonfuls of Nutella, with a drop of milk to liquify it a little... that would be perfect, light dressing for this! Or of course a drizzle of honey or maple syrup would be delicious too. But whatever you do and however you enjoy it- enjoy it while it's hot!