Dutch Bacon Pancakes with Apple Syrup
Dutch pancakes or pannenkoeken are of the impressive, plate-size variety. They may be plain or flavoured; in this case they are studded with bacon. Appelstroop (rhymes with rope) is the Dutch equivalent of maple syrup, made by candying apple juice. You can buy it from stores stocking Dutch foods but it is straightforward to make yourself. Appelstroop:
700ml apple juice
200g raw sugar
2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses Pancakes:
250g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine salt
500ml cold milk
2 large eggs, beaten until frothy Spray oil and butter, for cooking 250g bacon or pancetta, sliced wafer-thin
Stroop: Pour apple juice into a heavybased pot and add sugar. Stir until liquid comes to the boil then reduce heat to a brisk simmer and cook without stirring for about 30 minutes until reduced by half or the temperature has reached 110°C on a candy thermometer (thread stage).
Take off heat and stir in molasses. Cool before serving. The syrup will thicken as its cools and stores well in the fridge for up to a month.
Pancakes: Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Slowly add milk, whisking continuously to form a thin, smooth batter.
In another bowl, whisk eggs until frothy then whisk them into the batter.
Heat a large frying pan over medium heat with a spray of oil and ½ teaspoon butter until it sizzles.
Ladle batter mixture into pan and swirl to make the pancake as large as possible – ideally completely filling the pan. Lay 2-3 bacon or pancetta slices on the pancake. Cook 2 minutes before carefully flip and cook the other side for a further 1-2 minutes.
Repeat with remaining batter and bacon/pancetta, adding extra oil and butter as needed.
Serve with a jug of appelstroop. Garnish with extra fried bacon/pancetta pieces if desired. Makes about 8 (serves 4)