There’s a place in Drumheller, Southern Alberta called Whif’s Flapjack House. It is a place close to my heart and a beloved part of my childhood.
My Uncle Earle used to take us there. Whif’s is a pancake place, but really summing it up so simply just doesn’t even come close to touching on its magnificence.
First of all they have a train… Yes a train… on a track suspended from the ceiling, ever present chugging merrily through my Whif’s memories from the time that I was about two or three.
Secondly, when I say it’s a pancake place you probably get images of your run of the mill mass produced mediocre fare on offer at diners North America wide. But Whif’s pancakes are just a world apart. Imagine a mountain of fluffy, golden pancakes the size of a dinner plate, smothered in whipped cream and juicy fresh berries, clearly prepared with love and pride. These are the pancakes of Whif’s. Legenday.
Pancakes make me happy. Tied up in memories of Whif’s and of one of the most precious people of my life, they certainly evoke warm feelings. So today I’m sharing a pancake recipe that I recently discovered.
These buckwheat banana pancakes and blueberry sauce are lovely. They have the earthy flavour and colour of buckwheat, and are gluten free because of it. The bananas give them moisture and sweetness. Top them with the blueberry sauce and a dollop of plain yogurt and they are a bit of heaven.
So though they don’t come in a mountain of whip cream, and there’s no train, I think that Uncle Earle would approve.
- 2 ripe bananas
- 150g buckwheat flour
- 200ml milk of your choosing
- 1tsp baking powder
- 1Tbsp runny honey
- 1 egg, beaten
- A bit of oil for the pan
- 150g frozen blueberries, or fresh if you prefer
- 1tsp maple syrup
- 200ml water
- Lightly brush the base of a heavy bottomed frying pan with oil and set it over medium heat.
- In a medium bowl, mash the bananas well.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and the baking powder.
- Add the flour mixture to the bananas along with the milk, honey and egg and beat well to make a fairly runny batter.
- Once the pan is hot, ladle the batter, one small ladle per pancake, in in batches. Leave to cook until bubbles have formed on the surface of the pancake and then flip. Allow to cook a few minutes on the other side until both sides are dark golden.
- Meanwhile, to make the blueberry sauce place the water, blueberries and maple syrup in a small pan over medium heat. Allow to simmer until the blueberries are very soft. If you like it smooth and syrupy pour it through a fine sieve and scrape as much of the blueberry pulp through with the back of a spoon, OR leave it with the whole blueberries in if you prefer.