Bill Granger's Coconut Pancakes with Passionfruit Syrup and Banana

Since it was Rach's Birthday on the weekend, I thought I'd make her breakfast in bed. I came across this recipe for Bill Granger's Coconut Pancakes and thought it was great birthday breakfast food. They take a little bit more effort and have a few more ingredients than your standard pancakes, but are well worth the effort. Rach was very impressed and the pancakes were much more of a success than our dinner at Verge!

(recipe sourced from http://www.foodreference.com)

Makes 18

215 g (1 3/4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar

65 g (3/4 cup) desiccated coconut

a pinch of salt

4 eggs, separated

250 ml (1 cup) milk

250 ml (1 cup) coconut milk

50 g (1 3/4 oz) unsalted butter, melted

butter, for greasing the pan

6 bananas, sliced in half lengthways

passionfruit syrup (below)

Preheat the oven to 120°C (250°F/Gas 1).

Place the flour, baking powder, sugar, desiccated coconut and salt in a bowl and stir to combine. Place the egg yolks, milk and coconut milk into another bowl and whisk to combine.

Add the milk mixture and butter to the dry ingredients and mix lightly with a metal spoon until just combined.

Place the egg whites in a clean, dry stainless steel bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form.

Using a large metal spoon, fold the egg whites through the batter in two batches.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and brush a small portion of butter over the base.

For each pancake, drop 3 tablespoons of batter into the pan.

Avoid overcrowding the pan with pancakes.

Cook for 2 minutes on one side, turn and cook for another minute.

Transfer to a plate and keep warm in the oven while you make the remaining pancakes.

Serve the pancakes in stacks of three with the banana and passionfruit syrup.

PASSIONFRUIT SYRUP

115 g (1/2 cup) caster (superfine) sugar

60 g (1/4 cup) passionfruit pulp

Combine the sugar, passionfruit pulp and 125 ml (1/2 cup) water in a small saucepan over a medium heat and bring to the boil, skimming any scum from the surface.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.