Whether it's the first time they've woken up at your place, the
100th, or the 1,000th -- I personally believe there is no
better way to impress someone the morning after than to make them breakfast.
Don't make eggs. Because eggs are like peanut butter and
jelly sandwiches: specific and personal. Some people like really finely minced
scrambled eggs, some like sunny-side up, some like omelets mixed with milk to
fluff it up. Don't make eggs.
Unless you have appliance heaven in your kitchen, waffles
(and a waffle maker) are out of the question. And it's not like you're going to
attempt to impress this person by taking them out to breakfast, especially since we all know lazy days in your pajamas
are nothing short of amazing.
Pancakes are pretty much breakfast perfection. If you want
your Sunday morning to be as awesome as your Saturday night, you'll make banana
pancakes. Tyler Florence and his "ultimate" banana pancakes have got you
covered.
Editor's note: Tyler
Florence's original recipe calls for the pancakes to be accompanied by maple butter.
I couldn't care less (and I'm fine with Mrs. Butterworth), so I excluded it.
Oh and another thing: The original recipe also calls for pecans. I prefer pancakes sans nuts, so they
are excluded too. No need to be fancy...
Ingredients
2 cups
buttermilk
3 eggs
1
teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups
all-purpose flour
1 ½
teaspoons baking powder
1
teaspoon baking soda<
1 pinch
salt
4
tablespoons sugar
½
stick unsalted butter, melted
3
bananas, peeled, and sliced in ¼-inch circles
Directions
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and
vanilla together well. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking
soda, salt, and sugar. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry and stir with a
spoon to get rid of the lumps. Pour in the melted butter and whisk until
smooth. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium-low heat and swirl around a
little melted butter to keep the pancakes from sticking. Use a ladle to pour
the batter into the pan. See cook's note.*
Cook the pancakes on one side until they are set and then
lightly press the bananas into the batter. When small bubbles appear on the
uncooked surface, flip the pancakes and cook until golden on both sides (about
eight minutes). Transfer pancakes to a warming plate in the oven while you make
the rest until the batter is gone.
*Cook's note: The
trick to perfect round pancakes is pouring the batter in the same spot and
letting it roll out to a complete circle.
*Editor's note: I
think the more fruit the better. Strawberries and blueberries are also
encouraged.
