Chocolates & Dreams

This month’s Secret Recipe Club had another amazing surprise for me. The amazing blog Shockingly Delicious by Dorothy Reinhold has a wide and diverse collection of recipes to choose from. Dorothy has over 25 years of experience in food writing and recipe development and that is clearly evident from her beautiful blog. Shocking Delicious is something that tastes beyond wonderful and anything she makes has to satisfy that criteria.
          A few recipes that I thought looked Super Duper Shockingly Delicious are : Meryl Streep’s favorite Eggplant Soufflé, Cilantro Pesto, Honeyed Carrots. The Cookie Dough Truffles are any Valentine’s dreams come true and the Nutella Fudge Brownie’s had my tummy growl like a greedy bear.
          But, what really caught my attention was the simple Nutella Hot Chocolate that was so delicious that it has become a regular at the breakfast table and the delicious Buttermilk Pancakes that I just can’t have enough off. With the cold wave engulfing Delhi and the temperature dropping suddenly, a cup of piping hot chocolate and a plate full of fluffy, sweet and soft pancakes give a different meaning to life.
          What had me really excited was how happy Santa would be to find a warm plate of pancakes & a piping hot cup of chocolate awaiting him in the wee hours of the morning while he was dropping by presents. Brownie points for me I hope. Christmas and New Year always has me in the best of spirits. Wishing everyone a Happy & Delicious & Merry Christmas…
To know more about this fabulous group & be a part of it, go HERE.
Nutella Hot Chocolate :-
Piping Hot Milk 1 cup
Nutella 1 – 2 tbsp
•Mix the piping hot milk and nutella till they are well combined. Enjoy with a plate of shockingly delicious buttermilk pancakes and the morning newspaper in the soft morning sun.
Buttermilk Pancakes :-
Notes :-
•The batter is thin and spread quite a lot, that is why I have used a 1/8 cup measure. You can also use a ¼ cup measure if you want large pancakes.
•Use a flat thin spoon to flip the pancake over. Even when the bottom is cooked the pancake is very soft and if not flipped properly will lose shape.
•I don’t usually like maple syrup or honey so I increase the amount of sugar to compensate. You can reduce the sugar to 1 tbsp & then top the pancakes with a sweetener of your choice.
•This recipe can easily be doubles. I have halved the original. See the original recipe HERE.
Flour ½ cup
Buttermilk ½ cup
Baking Powder ½ tsp
Baking Soda ½ tsp
Sugar 3 tbsp
Vegetable Oil 1 tbsp
Egg 1
Vanilla essence ½ tsp
•Mix all the ingredients other than the flour in a bowl.
•Now add in the flour and mix till relatively smooth. Don’t over mix.
•Heat a non-stick pan till steaming and then reduce temperature to low. Pour 1/8 cup of batter and cook for 1 – 2 minutes or till the surface bubbles and the side let go of the pan.
•Flip the pancake with a thin flat spatula, a steel spatula works best.
•Let cook for 1 minute and take off and cook the rest of the batter. If you have a big pan you can make 2 – 3 pancakes simultaneously.
•Serve warm with fresh fruits, maple syrup and a cup of shockingly delicious Nutella Hot Chocolate.
Serves : 2.
Makes : 8 – 10 medium pancakes.
Enjoy ! ! !