Pancakes | Recipe

Pancakes are one of my favourite breakfast foods ever- they're so easy to whip up and they're so delicious too. Growing up, I would wake up to a huge stack of pancakes that were drowned in maple syrup and so every time I make these, I immediately recall the happy moments of my childhood. Furthermore, these pancakes don't require a mixer to be made- just a whisk and a bowl! Since these pancakes are so foolproof, this has since become my go-to recipe for whenever I crave warm, fresh pancakes. Everybody needs a go-to recipe, and I guarantee you that this will soon become yours too! The thing I love about pancakes too is that they're so versatile- just like bread you can serve them sweet or savoury. For a savoury dish, serve with bacon and maple syrup, or for dessert, serve warm with a big scoop of good quality vanilla ice cream along with a heavy dose of chocolate syrup- yum!
 
Pancakes Recipe                                                                                              Recipe by iSaamuel 
INGREDIENTS;
135g of all purpose flour,
1 teaspoon of baking soda,
2 tablespoons of sugar,
140ml of milk,
1 egg,
2 tablespoons of melted, unsalted butter,

extra butter if your pan isn't non-stick

METHOD;
1. Into a large bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Whisk in the sugar.
2. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and the melted butter.
3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and whisk briefly until it's just combined. Make sure no lumps of flour remain.
4. Heat your skillet/pan on low heat. Add a tab of butter and spread it out evenly across the pan if it isn't non-stick.
5. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop a dollop of the pancake batter on to the skillet. Using the back of the ice cream scoop/ladle, gently spread out the batter into a circular shape.
6. Cook the pancake for 30 seconds to 1 minute on the bottom, and only about 30 seconds for the other side.
The pancake is ready to flip when the top appears dry and bubbles are formed throughout its surface.
Tip: After you've flipped your pancake, make sure you do not press down/flatten it down with your pancakes in hopes of trying to cook faster- it won't. All it does is it flattens the pancake into a dense and chewy one. So with this in mind, be delicate with them!
7. Once your pancakes are done, stack them on top of each other and serve with a big tab of butter and lots of maple syrup. Garnish with fresh berries and bananas for a great, indulgent breakfast.

Feel free to incorporate chocolate chips into your pancake batter, or why not add fresh blueberries for a refreshing burst of flavour and texture!

French Chocolate Macarons | Recipe

Crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside- this is a perfect sweet cookie that you can re-create at home, impressing friends and family with them having thought these just came out of a famous French patisserie!
For me, the perfect macaron must have a light, thin 'egg-shell'-like texture, and the inside of the macaron shell should soft and ever so slightly chewy. Since macarons need to be precise and accurate in order to achieve the right texture, and for the 'feet' to appear, it is vital to measure the ingredients using a digital food scale rather than relying on cups for measurement to achieve the best results everytime. Enough with the talking, here is the recipe:

French Chocolate Macarons Recipe                                                                        Recipe by iSaamuel

 INGREDIENTS;
- 40g of Egg Whites,
- 16g of Caster Sugar,

- 75g of Powdered Sugar,
- 10g of Cocoa Powder, (replace with more Powdered Sugar if wanting plain macarons)
- 50g of Almond Flour,

Ganache filling;
- 60g of Dark Chocolate, melted, (use Milk if you like),
- 3 Tablespoons of Heavy Cream.

1. Whisk egg whites and caster sugar until stiff peaks are formed.
2. Sift in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and almond flour on top of the stiff egg whites.
3. Cut and fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites with a spatula (this process is called 'Macaronage'). Do not over-mix or under-mix.

Over-mixing will result in flat macarons, while under-mixing creates 'cracked' macarons.
Mix until the batter is a 'lava-like' drooping consistency. The batter is ready when it spreads out gradually after being poured.

4. Pour the complete batter in a piping bag and cut the corner.
5. Pipe macaron batter into even circles on a lined baking sheet. Drop the baking sheet 3 times to release any air bubbles.
6. Let the macarons rest and air-dry for 30 minutes to an hour, or until dry to touch.
7. Once dried, bake at 160C for 15-18 minutes. During the process you should see 'feet' forming under the cookies. The macarons are done when the peel  off the baking sheet easily.

For the Chocolate Ganache filling;
1. Melt dark chocolate with cream in the microwave or over a 'bain-marie' (double boiler- a pan of simmering water under a bowl). Mix well to combine and you're done!

Fill or pipe this filling in between 2 cookies and decorate with Cocoa Powder or edible glitter/luster dust! Enjoy.