Scribbles & Munch

      In my household, we all have our convictions. One of my mine is that any breakfast pastry can be rendered "healthy" with the addition of spelt flour. My husband holds a conviction that any pastry involving raisins will be rendered at least five times tastier by replacing said raisins with chocolate chips.* (An opinion, incidentally, in which he is joined by noted comedian and political commentator, John Oliver).

Raisins wish they were this cool.

Then there's my cat, who apparently holds a conviction that unless she meows loudly and rubs her cheek against every reachable surface in the kitchen** each morning, her guardians will somehow forget to eat breakfast and subsequently starve to death. So this morning, as my cat was meowing and rubbing against my legs, shoes, fridge, cupboards, trash can and recycling bag, I applied the other two household convictions and made some pretty darn tasty banana pancakes.
      There are two primary approaches to banana flapjacks: the Mash 'Em In The Batter approach, and the Slices Laid In While Cooking approach. I have had good breakfasts both ways, but today I needed to use up some over-ripe bananas, so I specifically went for the Mash method. Over-ripe bananas are excellent for baking, which is a good thing, because otherwise they sit around making your kitchen smell like a third-world tropical farmer's market, and inviting every fruit fly for a hundred mile radius to come hang out in your home.

The fruit fly equivalent of a giant neon sign reading "PARADISE BAR & GRILL."

The answer is to wrap them TIGHTLY in a plastic bag and stick 'em in your fridge until you're ready to use them, but even then you have to be prompt, lest every dairy product in your fridge takes on a funky banana je ne sais quoi. Banana bread is the obvious option, but that usually calls for 2-3 bananas. If you only have one, then I recommend this brunch delight:

Z.D.'s Yes-It's-Healthy (sort of) Chocolate Chip Banana Flapjacks
(makes 8 flapjacks)

1/2 Cup old fashioned rolled oats
3/4 Cup whole milk
1/2 Cup spelt flour (or AP flour if you're not into healthy)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 large, over-ripe banana
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1/2 Cup chopped bittersweet chocolate (yes, you could use chips, but you can get better quality chocolate for less in baking bars!)

 - Place the oats in a medium size mixing bowl. Heat the milk until quite warm (stove or microwave, I don't care, just don't over-heat it or it will scald), then pour over the oats and stir. Let the oats soak a bit while you make the rest of the batter.

 - In a small bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, sugar, nutmeg, baking powder and soda. In another small bowl, mash the banana, then vigorously stir in the egg, extract and butter. Add both the flour and banana mixtures to your soaking oats, and stir until just barely barely combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.


 - Grease your flapjack surface of choice (skillet, griddle, cast iron dutch oven lid, etc) with a little butter. If you have a kitchen laser thermometer (one of the gizmos my husband got me and then he wound up playing with way more than I ever do), heat the surface to just about 360º F. If you don't have a kitchen laser thermometer, watch until the butter is just starting to think about browning and scarcely starting to smoke, then ladle on your batter in 1/3 Cup dollops. Cook until bubbles form on the top, the edges are firm, and the cooked side is decidedly golden brown, then flip. (If you cook on a stove, monitor your skillet temp so the butter doesn't burn, but it doesn't get too cold or the flapjacks will never cook.) Cook until happily brown on the other side. Serve.


      Personally, I think these are sweet enough you don't need maple syrup. We enjoyed these flapjacks with a bit of butter and some fresh raspberries and strawberries, and they were quite delish. My husband was deeply satisfied by the chocolate chips. I was happily content with the oats and spelt, which allowed me to pretend I was being healthy. And our cat was just happy we were eating, so she could curl up under the table and wait for us to leave and forget to cover the butter dish. (Which we didn't. But she definitely checked to make sure.)



*This is due to early childhood trauma from mistaking raising cookies for chocolate chip cookies. He's never forgiven raisins since. I can sympathize: I had a memorable experience in third grade where I thought I was biting into a chocolate doughnut, and it turned out to be a pumpernickel bagel. It took me years to accept either pumpernickel or bagels back into my diet.

**Including the paper bag set out for recycling, which - despite several experiences - she has yet to learn will not support her kitty weight, and she nearly falls over when she pushes her cheeks against it.