BBBadass Breakfast - Bourbon Banana Bacon Pancakes Recipe

What's this? A recipe with booze in it? Yeah I like drinking in the morning and am always looking for excuses. Plus I just got introduced to bourbon by The Liquorists and T.Vernon and guess what? I'm putting it in everything like the rebel/teenage girl with a crush, because I'm a grown up and I can.

*swoons*

This recipe tastes amazing (I would say that), is super comforting and gives you an excuse to a) have alcohol in your breakfast and b) drink the said alcohol whilst cooking, for quality control/fuck yeah reasons. So if you've had a heavy night, are semi-alcoholic, or are having to get through a breakfast with with children, then knock this easy recipe up 'cos it's way more classy than sucking the dregs out last night's wine glasses/bar towels/your shirt.

It's pretty easy to bang out, but if you're anticipating something epic the night before then you can make up the batter and leave it in the fridge - it'll keep for a few days like that; you might just need to add a splash of milk to get it to the right consistency - and if you're drinking/eating alone, then you have batter for a few days - win.

This is what you are giong to make and then the world will be ok

This recipe calls for bourbon, you can either leave it out (er, what? The whole point of this breakfast is to revel in spirits and keep the party going) or replace it with a single malt or even another spirit. If you do, you won't get the same toffee caramel sweetness with a smokey hint of vanilla, that a bourbon brings to the mix - but it's up to you and I'm no food nazi (btw dark rum works amazingly here).

Btw I'm using Woodford in the recipe - mainly because I can and I don't live by the 'don't put expensive booze in food' rules; not because I'm rich/exclusive/up my own arse dahlink, but because I have this in the cupboard and can't be arsed getting a cheap bottle in. Woodford does give the recipe a mellow spicy edge that I've not found before and it is my FAVOURITE bourbon that I can actually afford - but yeah, go get the £8 bottle from Aldi if you're going to make this constantly (TIP: the £8 Aldi bourbon is great for cooking/punches) .

Oh and using Woodford means I don't have to get two bottles out and can just drink/cook with the same one - IMPORTANT if it hurts to even consider breakfast, let alone make it.

Ingredients in visual form - may help when it hurts to read

BBBadass Breakfast - Bourbon Banana Bacon Pancakes
Serves 2 - prep 5 min - cooking 15 min

For the pancakes
125g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
10g golden caster sugar
1 large egg (free-range please)
150ml milk - but you won't need all of it
20g melted butter

For the syrup
50g butter
4 tbsp soft brown sugar
4 tbsp granulated sugar
150ml bourbon - I used Woodford, but you can use whatever you want (you might need more to thin out/taste)

You will also need
Two bananas - cut in half length ways
Four rashers of smoky bacon

1. Get some ice out of the freezer, get a nice glass and pour yourself a large measure - this will make you feel like golden syrup and make the rest of the day seem ok.

2. Pre-heat the grill on medium, put a frying on a low heat and add the butter.

3. Put all the dry ingredients to a bowl and make a well in the centre. Break the egg in to the well and then add about half the milk. Using a balloon whisk, whisk the mixture gently (so as not to hurt your head more/spill your drink) and then add more milk, whisking all the time until you get a consistency of slightly thicker double cream (so you may not need all the milk, I usually have a little left over).

4. By the time you have made the batter the butter should have melted. Add this to the batter and give it a stir. Set to one side for the time being. You may need another drink at this point.

5. Put the bacon under the grill and cook until crispy. Whilst the bacon is grilling, add the butter to a frying pan and the sugar on a medium high heat - do not stir it and put the bananas on top - as the sugar caramelises, the bananas will too - give them about 30 sec on each side and then put them to one side on a plate.

6. Add the bourbon and butter to the sugar, then bubble away until you get a light syrup. DO NOT stick your fingers or tongue in unless you want third degree burns and try explaining the A+E that you were a) stupid enough to do that and b) that you love booze so much you have it as soon as you get up and stick it in your recipes - won't look good.

7. Take the syrup off the heat, your bacon out from under the grill (if you haven't already) and set aside - this all looks like a faff, but you need to get everything ready for the pancakes and then BOOM it's all ready to eat.

8. Put a non-stick frying pan on a high heat and when it gets to temp wipe a piece of kitchen paper dipped in oil around the inside of the pan. Put back on the heat and add two dessert spoons of batter to the pan - these are the thick American/Scotch pancakes type of thing so do not swirl around (hence why we've made a bit of a thicker batter than for crepe style pancakes). When you see bubbles forming on wet/top side of the batter, flip it over using a plastic fish slice or spatula and cook for another minute, then take it off and put it on a plate to keep warm. If you have a small pan, cook one at a time and if not, squeeze two in - you want each pancake to be the size of a saucer and no bigger, but not tiny small.

9. As you are cooking the pancakes, put the syrup back on the heat and warm/thicken up - cook the bacon in the syrup until the bacon is sticky, but don't overcook the syrup (add more bourbon if needed). When you finish the pancakes (cover them to keep warm btw), add the bananas and bacon to the pan you used for the pancakes and caramelise on a high heat for half a minute. Whilst this is happening, stack the pancakes on two plates (make sure you make an equal amount!).

10. Take the bananas and bacon out and put on top of the pancake. Drizzle the syrup over and serve with another glass of Woodford, whilst you're still in your dressing gown and haven't taken your make up off. This breakfast takes the pain out of having children, but is best enjoyed out of their presence, as are most things in life.

Tuck in/drink up

This is my recipe and I'm pretty proud of it, so it's under copywrite. If you want to use it get in touch or when I can be arsed/am not drunk I will come round and enact some Hunter S Thompson style of retribution. If the timings etc suck then let me know and I'll correct them in a begrudging and grumpy manner.