Best Breakfast in Da World

How good are pancakes? I have found, in my quest to live forever, that things don't have to be "bad for you" in order to taste good. This is my favourite breakfast - complete with fibre, fruit, and no added sugars.

Apple & Banana Pancakes

These pancakes have their own unique and delicious flavour, so I don't add any honey - but if you have a sweet tooth honey or maple syrup are perfect toppings. I love the contrast of the warm, filling pancakes and the cool, freshness of the cold banana. It's like getting the best of both worlds: satisfying and refreshing all at once.

• 1 egg
• 1 tsp butter, melted (optional - I don't add butter)
• 1 1/4 cups of milk
• 1 cup flour (I use wholemeal for fibre; white makes lighter pancakes)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 apples, peeled & grated (when in season, green ones work best)
• cinnamon (to taste - I use about a bucket)
• Vanilla essence (to taste - I use a tablespoon)
• pinch of nutmeg (optional)
  
  
• Banana (slice and serve atop pancakes)
• Honey or real maple syrup (topping, optional)

1. Make mixture by sifting together dry ingredients and then adding the wet ones. I cheat and use a blender stick to mix everything together, but potentially folding with a spoon will keep the mixture lighter.
   
2. Add the grated apple last, stir together.
   
3. Cook in a frying pan (see below for tips).
   
4. Serve topped with freshly sliced banana and, if you like, honey or maple syrup.

Makes enough for two hungry lesbians, with a serving of leftovers (mmm, cold pancakes for lunch!)

The original recipe calls for only one apple to every cup of flour, so my version is more like an apple fritter than a pancake with apples in it. If you prefer a bit more fluffiness leaving out some of the apple will do the trick. You can also add in some banana to the mix instead of one of the apples: I did this when I cooked for my mum, and they worked brilliantly. The mix can be made up the night before - in fact, this is what I always do, because I think it makes them taste better - but you will usually need to add a little extra milk the following morning.

How to cook pancakes

I have been taking singing lessons since I was 12, and I have found that the best teachers are not necessarily the best singers. At first that doesn't make sense, but the reason is quite sensible. "Naturally gifted" people never really had to learn themselves. They either could just do what they could do without guidance, or having been shown once, were able to pick it up and do it perfectly without practice.

Really good teachers struggled to understand concepts, came up against obstacles, practiced, failed, made mistakes, tried a thousand different methods, and finally mastered the best techniques.

Be assured that I am not naturally gifted. I have made many pancake-scrambles, pitch black fritters, and seemingly perfect concoctions that run gooey and white in the middle (I actually like them this way, but that's another story). Because I am so utterly inept, I've had to play a lot of trial and error, and I have been forced to make pancakes almost every week just to practice. (the things I do for my art)

Here are some tips that have helped me make pancakes that people will actually eat:

• Use a good non-stick frying pan. This is probably the most important thing for me. I love my frying pan. It's one of the only really good quality items I have in my kitchen. And it does make a difference - the difference between carcinogenic goop and pancakes.
  
  
• Wait for the frying pan to reach the right temperature. The first batch always goes awry for me when I rush in - so I normally cook a single pancake to check the temperature before marching on with the rest.
  
  
• Use a temperature which is hot enough to change the colour of the pancake, but will not burn the outside before the inside is cooked. I usually use a slightly higher temp for side one, then down the volume when I flip the pancake for side two.
  
  
• Be patient. Don't flip the pancakes before they are ready. If you're using a good frying pan, they should slide easily onto your flipper when they want to be turned. If they offer resistance it is because that side is still cooking, and the mixture is sticking to the pan. Just leave them for a bit longer and try again.
  
  
• Normally the "bubble" method works well - watching bubbles form and pop on the surface of the pancakes - but this is less effective with these particular pancakes as the quantity of apples makes for less bubble visibility. I usually rely on the "flipper test" above.