I am a huge fan of breakfast for dinner! There is nothing better than sitting on the couch, your favorite show running on TV and a plate of pancakes, crepes, or waffles in front of you after a long day’s work. Many a time, I look through the left-overs in the refrigerator and think, ‘Urggh, such boring food. I’ve had enough of that and that and that!’ These are the times when breakfast comes in handy for dinner.
When I was away at college, breakfast for dinner was a regular affair – I would take a while off doing my projects and put together a chicken salami sandwich or some crepes filled with Nutella, and I was good to go. Easy-peasy stuff, ready in minutes, and super tasty – I believe that’s impossible to resist! However, having moved back home, and with mum around, it’s tough to get away with not eating wholesome meals for dinner. So when I am home-alone, I treat myself to a delicious dinner of all things breakfasty.
Last night was no different, I was home alone stuck with a fridge full of various traditional Indian dishes that I just couldn’t be bothered to touch. I wanted to try something different. So I quickly chopped up some dates, soaked them and proceeded to make the pancake batter. Truth is, I was craving Sticky Toffee Pudding, but ill that I was, I didn’t have the strength to bake. So I decided to put my own spin on the classic, and make Date Pancakes with Sticky Toffee Sauce.
Here’s what you need for the Pancakes:
- Dates – 200 g, hulled, chopped finely and soaked in hot water
- Yogurt – 1 cup, (can be substituted with sour cream)
- All Purpose Flour – 7 tbsp
- Brown Sugar – 4 tbsp
- Baking Soda – 1 tsp
- Salt – 1/2 tsp
- Eggs – 2
- Cinnamon powder – a pinch
This is how you make these delicious fluffy pancakes:
- In a bowl mix together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Add yogurt and mix until just incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, beat eggs.
- Add beaten eggs to the flour and yogurt mixture and mix thoroughly.
- Drain the chopped dates and add to the mixture. Add the cinnamon powder and give the batter one last mix.
- Heat a griddle or a frying pan on medium flame and grease it with butter.
- Pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the pan. Let one side of the pancake cook for about two minutes until the edges turn golden and bubbles appear on the surface. Then flip over and cook on the other side.
- Make sure that both sides of your pancake are a deep golden hue and then take off of heat.
Here’s what you’re going to need for the sauce:
- Unsalted butter – 113 g
- Dark Brown Sugar – 1 cup
- Heavy Cream – 3/4 cup
- Cinnamon Powder – a tiny pinch
- Salt – 1/2 tsp
This is how you prepare the Sticky Toffee Sauce:
- In a skillet, melt butter and brown sugar on low heat.
- Once melted, gradually add in the heavy cream while stirring continuously until the sauce becomes thick.
- Add in the cinnamon powder and salt and bring to a boil.
- Once it bubbles, take it off the heat.
Once both, the pancakes and the sauce are ready, stack the pancakes and douse them with the sticky toffee sauce. Dig in while still warm!
I must admit, I have a real problem with getting pancakes to be circular in shape, as you can see in the pictures. No matter how much I try, the pancakes I make always take on the shape of amoeba or of an odd map. But nonetheless, they taste absolutely heavenly.
Date Pancakes with Sticky Toffee Sauce are just amazing. The pancakes are fluffy and not too sweet except when you bite into a chunk of dates. The salty sticky toffee sauce poured over the pancakes creates the right balance between sweet and salt. The warmth and sweetness of the dates, the fluff of the pancakes and the buttery sticky sauce, all make for an incredibly succulent, tasteful meal.
These Date Pancakes with Sticky Toffee Sauce are a real treat. You’ll surely find yourself yearning for more!
Warning: If you’re watching your weight, breakfast for dinner is a terrible idea! But you can always cheat once in a while. 😛
The Foodscape 