muffin pan pancake popovers + honey caramelized bananas & pecans
Pancake popovers, these might be one of my most favourite things as of late. They are so easy to make and they have a high satisfaction factor with the whole popover action thing happening. I have written before about how unsuccessful my pancake making skills are, although I have come to a conclusion as to why they are so hard for me. I think because I don’t have a flat grill and I am making them in a pan on the stove, a stove by the way that has crazy unpredictable and uneven hot spots. Now I know a flat grill isn’t a necessity to make pancakes but I am also incredibly inpatient and I hate making one pancake at a time in a pan on the stove (that crazy hot spot makes that the only successful way to make them) so I get all impatient, put more batter and into the pan than should be and then they cook unevenly, break, and just become one big mess! Phew!
So I need a grill, because my impatient mind as you can read goes a little nutty in the pancake making process. A grill and a waffle maker (which I have said for a long time) are the next two kitchen appliances on my need to get list. I have so many waffle ideas swirling around in my mind, I can literally taste them in the tip of my tongue and I really want to come up with the ultimate crispy, soft waffle because the crispy soft waffle to me are what all waffle dreams should be made of.
But until then I have been making dutch babies and pancake popovers to fulfill my pancake/waffle cravings. These popovers are light and airy with a little crunch on the top, laced with cinnamon and scented with vanilla. I topped these ones with caramelized bananas and walnuts but the topping options are truly endless. Drizzle some chocolate; roast some blueberries (I have a recipe here for some cinnamon roasted blueberries that would be really lovely); stew up some strawberries; bake some peaches. Or just sprinkle them with some icing sugar and a squeeze of lemon like a more traditional dutch baby.
These popovers make Sunday morning pancakes so easy. One pan in the oven and you are done. The popover batter does not freeze well and doesn’t work as good if made the night before so there is a little bit of prep and waiting overall it is a lot easier than flipping one pancake after another.
Over the weekend Paul and I were celebrating a friend’s engagement. It was a night filled with too much wine and led into the wee wee hours of the morning, which we don’t do very often anymore but it was so much fun. Sometimes I wish we were still in our twenties and could be a little more frivolous and have more nights like that and it’s not that we can’t but honestly partying in your 30’s into the early morning hours really takes it out of you! I think I am still trying to recover my sleep and it is Wednesday! In my twenties I probably would have had 2-3 wee morning late nights in one week, never mind 2-3 times a year now! Haha
Joking aside it was so nice to get out with dear friends; friends that no matter how many times we are able to get together in a year now because of busy schedules, work and kid commitments always go right back to where we were. Like no time has passed. If i could have gotten myself together on Sunday morning or had more than two hours of sleep I would have whipped up a batch of these pancake popovers for the whole lot of us. Next time...
pancake popovers + honey caramelized bananas & pecans
popover ingredients
6 eggs
2 1/3 cups milk
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp vanilla
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
18 ¼’s of a tsp of butter
½ tsp Himalayan salt
Caramelized bananas
3 bananas
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp vanilla
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ cup pecans
directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
This recipe will make one and a half muffin pans of popovers. Bring the eggs and milk to room temperature.
Once the eggs and milk are of room temperature crack the eggs into the bowl of a standing mix master fitted with a whisk and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until foamy and pale in colour.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.
Turn the mix master down to low and add in the maple syrup and vanilla. Then slowly add in the flour mixture then beat on medium speed for another 2 minutes.
Let the batter rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
After the hour is up, place ¼ of a tsp in the bottom of each muffin cup. Put the pans in the oven to just melt the butter. Then fill the cups about ¾ of the way full of batter. Bake the popovers for 15 minutes at 450 degrees then turn the temperature down to 350 for another 30-35 minutes.
While the popovers are baking caramelize the bananas. In a pan on medium heat melt the butter and honey and bring to a slight simmer, add in the vanilla, cinnamon and a dash of salt. Bring this to a slight bubble. Then add in the sliced banana and pecans. Cook until the bananas are soft and slightly browned.
Once the popovers are done (they will be golden brown and will have “popped” about the cups) sprinkle them with icing sugar and serve warm, sliced and topped with bananas. You can also put a dollop of plain or vanilla yogurt on top too, it is quite delicious.