Proper vs Real: A Kitchen Divided

English certainly is a funny language. In addition to using different words to describe the same object (as with biscuits and cookies), there are also several instances of Americans and Brits using the same word to describe two separate things. Bacon and pancakes are two (particularly delicious) examples of this conundrum. Luckily Carl and I managed to work out our differences while cooking breakfast one morning. In what can only be attributed the brilliance that comes from uniting two minds from opposite sides of the pond, we decided that from that moment forward all British uses of shared words would be preceded by 'proper' and all American uses would be preceded by 'real'.

Proper bacon is also known as back bacon and includes pork loin and pork belly in a single cut. It can sometimes be found in the US as Canadian bacon (not to be confused with the circular smoked ham slices which go by the same name). Proper bacon is the best for bacon sandwiches: two thick cut slices of white bread, 2-4 slices of proper bacon, and a generous smothering of brown sauce (definitely has to be HP Sauce). A proper bacon sandwich as prepared by Carl has become my British equivalent for a bean and cheese burrito from El Sombrero #2 on the way to the airport.

A proper bacon sandwich ready to be smothered in brown sauce.

Real bacon, called streaky bacon in the UK, is cut from the park belly. It is the best for creating tasty lattices of bacon-y goodness which can be layered on top of a roasting turkey at Thanksgiving (more on that later) or wrapped around a chicken breast to emulate a tortoise's shell for a Darwin Day feast.

Uses of real bacon include lattices for tortoise shells and covering turkey.

The Brits apply the term pancake to thin, crepe-like round cakes. They require a bit of finesse and tend not to satiate my American cravings for a nice hearty breakfast. I attempted to remedy this by creating a pancake 'lasagna' with alternating layers of nutella, bananas, raspberries, and proper pancakes cut into rectangles for my birthday last year.

Proper pancake lasagna.

However, my true culinary pièce de résistance (and main reason for this post) is delightful real pancakes, which have earned me the title of Breakfast Queen from Carl and our friends. I must admit that prior to moving to England, I had never cooked real pancakes from scratch. We always had Bisquick around the house (and I stooped even lower as an undergraduate by buying the shake and pour version which came in a plastic jug). 

It is with great irony that I confess my current recipe for real pancakes is based on a version I found for 'Fluffy American Pancakes' on the BBC website. However, they do have some truly excellent recipes and this one is no different. My favourite version is with bananas as I will illustrate below, but this works very well with blueberries, strawberries, and chocolate chips as well! 

Real Banana Pancakes

Real banana pancakes plated wonderfully by Carl.

Ingredients

135g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp caster sugar (superfine or baker's sugar for you Yanks)
130ml milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp melted butter
2 ripe (almost overly so) bananas

Directions
1. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and caster sugar into a large bowl. In a separate bowl or jug (the classic pyrex measuring jug is perfect for this), lightly whisk together the milk and egg, then whisk in the melted butter.

2. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and, using a fork, beat until you have a smooth batter. Let the batter stand for a few minutes while you cut (or mush according to your preference - mushed bananas will spread more evenly through the batter but the banana flavour won't be as pronounced) the bananas off to the side. Gently fold the bananas into the batter.

3. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add cooking spray (like PAM) or butter to ensure the pancakes won't stick. Add about 1/4 cup of batter to the pan. Wait for the pancake to bubble then flip it over and cook until both sides are golden brown. The pancakes should rise to be about 1/2 inch thick.

4. Repeat until all the batter is used up.

Additional Tips
While you can easily peek at the pancakes by lifting them gently with a spatula to see if the underside is the right colour, it is much better to closely watch the edges of the pancakes. As they begin to cook, you should see little bubbles forming along the edges. The batter will change colour and consistency which you will be able to watch on the sides. Once the change has reached about halfway, it is time to flip the pancake.

Don't worry, the first pancake in the batch is almost always the 'throw away' of the bunch. If the first one cooked to quickly on the outside and is still wet on the inside, it may help to turn the heat down or use less batter for the next pancake.

For fancy plating as Carl often likes to do, pile up the pancakes into little stacks, sprinkle icing (aka powdered) sugar on top with a strainer, and add a few pieces of chopped banana on top for a bit of flair. The pour a bit of maple syrup over the top and voilà - breakfast is served!

Until next time, enjoy your proper or real breakfast of choice! x