Ryan Mead, co-owner of The Place, a non-nonsense breakfast and brunch restaurant with locations in Glendale and North Scottsdale, shares one of his family’s pancake recipes. It’s not on the regular menu, but he runs it as a sought-after special every couple of weeks.
When making the batter, be sure not to over mix or you won’t get a fluffy pancake, Mead says. The pancakes are classic buttermilk like “Grandma would have made, basic from scratch. It’s pretty simple.”
Banana chocolate crunch pancakes
Almond crisp
½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup old-fashioned oatmeal (not instant)
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sliced almonds
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup melted butter
¼ tsp. almond extract
Preparation
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, oats, sugar, almonds and salt in a medium bowl and stir well. Combine butter and almond extract in another small bowl. Pour over oat mixture and stir until it forms clumps. Place mixture on a parchment lined baking sheet making sure to spread in an even layer. Place in hot oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden and crispy. Don’t over cook. Let cool and when finished cooling, crumble and place in airtight container and it will last for 7-10 days.
Buttermilk pancakes
(Dry ingredients)
2 cups flour
4 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
(Wet ingredients)
2 tbsp. melted butter, slightly cooled
4 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
Preparation
Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and sift very well. Next, combine all the wet ingredients in a bowl and whisk well to combine. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and slowly pour in wet mixture while whisking with your other hand. Mix until just combined, some lumps are OK. Be careful not to over mix. When finished, place in refrigerator to rest for at least 10 minutes. Use the same day.
Chocolate sauce
6 tbsp. half-and-half
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup chocolate chips (the better the chocolate, the better the sauce)
Pinch of salt
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Preparation
Combine the half-and-half, sugar, chocolate chips and salt in a small saucepan or over a double boiler to ensure the chocolate won’t burn. Bring contents to a boil, while stirring constantly. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes until thickened. Place in container or Mason jar and set on counter to cool. This will last for a week in the refrigerator. Hot tip: it’s great on ice cream or you can add to hot milk for hot chocolate.
Whipped cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
Preparation
Place small metal bowl and metal whisk in freezer for 10-15 minutes. Once cold, pour in cream and add sugar. Whisk vigorously until stiff peaks form or use a hand mixer. Place in refrigerator when finished.
Assembly
Almond crunch
5-6 fresh bananas sliced
Buttermilk pancake batter
Chocolate sauce
Whipped cream
Heat oven to 200 degrees and place parchment-lined baking sheet on oven rack. Heat a large nonstick skillet to medium high. Once hot, spray with oil and ladle two or three small pancakes (3 to 4 inches) on to the skillet and be careful not to crowd the pan. Place a few banana slices and sprinkle some almond crunch onto the top of each pancake. Let the pancakes cook untouched until bubbles in the middle start to pop and the edges are slightly brown, and then flip. Let cook another 2-3 minutes or until cooked thoroughly. Place cooked pancakes in oven on baking sheet while you make the remaining pancakes. To assemble, stack three pancakes on a plate and drizzle the top with 2 tbsp. chocolate sauce and top with whipped cream. Sprinkle some remaining crunch on top and garnish with sliced bananas.
