If only I could download some of this brilliant weather we are having today, then you could really understand what a perfect day it is here in bella Italia! I’m sitting at my outside table with Max eating popcorn in a beautiful, sunny 24 degrees with a slight breeze and lots of insects buzzing about trying to gather the last of the pollen before the cold snap comes ( I am wondering if Max will ever put on a t-shirt!?). I have just picked Max up from Italian school where I believe the only thing he is truly grasping is Italian swear words! Actually that isn’t true, everyday he comes out with something new or asks his dad what such and such means…..if only I had that skill!
Anyway, I’ll get right down to business and talk about breakfast. A family favourite of ours on the weekend is home made waffles, I have owned a waffle iron ever since we moved to the States and it is a kitchen gadget I love. You can make your own flavoured waffles; serve them with different sauces, ice cream, syrups…you name it a waffle can handle it. While I decided against bringing my beloved waffle iron with me I have missed the sweet mix of flavours I use to concoct for our weekend breakfasts, which is why I have started playing around with pancakes.
I have finally figured out the right flour to use (cake flour with a rising agent in it) so my pancakes now actually look good and taste good too. Of course butter and maple syrup are a classic favourite but when you can buy a tiny bottle over here for the same price as a trip to Paris I have decided to look for alternatives when it comes to family pancakes (the amount of syrup the boys pour on their pancakes would work out to be the same price as a return trip to Sydney!).
Clementines have just come into season and they are the cutest little clementines I have ever seen. They are a little larger than a golf ball, have no seeds and the flavour is sweet yet sharp….not like clementines I remember from home. I made these before the ebola virus sorry rotavirus invaded my family and they were an instant hit with everyone. They also freeze really well and are great as an after school snack for the boys when they need a quick fix. I am also loving them because they are not full of sugar and take a few minutes to defrost when popped in the toaster.
I just use the basic pancake recipe of 2 cups self raising flour; 2 eggs; a bit of sugar (never measure but maybe 1/4 cup) 1 teaspoon cinnamon and milk (again I don’t measure just add a glug, stir and keep adding until I have a good consistency.
The cinnamon gets mixed into the flour with the sugar before I add the eggs. Once eggs are added I whisk to break the yolks then I squeezed in the juice of two clementines and finish the rest of the thinning with milk. Cook as per usual and enjoy!
Max has requested these again now he is all better so I think that is a good sign they will be featuring quite a bit this year. To make a quick syrup to serve with these you just squeeze a few more clementines into a small saucepan with half the amount of water to juice, add approx. one tablespoon of sugar per clementine and then put it over a medium heat until sugar has dissolved. I’ll just have to work out a few more flavour combinations to keep it exciting and I am also wondering if I’ll find all the ingredients I need for cinnamon buns as I’ve been dreaming about them for a few days now!
Alex insisted I post this picture to show how good they really were “I’ll take a picture of my plate mum, just so people know they really were good”…..why would he think you wouldn’t believe me?
Italy Take Two 