American Pancakes with Pig-Flu Free Bacon and Sausages and Chicken-Flu Free Scrambled Eggs

My oldest is currently explaining a new game on his iPad to me. It’s a global apocalyptic disease game. A map shows the spread of a disease by planes and ships criss-crossing the screen. Countries slowly turn from green to red as the epidemic takes hold.

Then the disease mutates and you watch the body count ratchet up. So, naively, I assumed the point of the game was to stop the population dying. Maybe it was even a bit educational. But no. The objective is to kill all human kind. The game tries to save people, you try to kill everyone.

The irony. There is a trend generally towards end-of-the-world films, TV, books, newspaper articles and of course ubiquitous rolling-news coverage. Should something nasty happen you will be able to watch it in real time from the comfort of your front room.

And if it does happen I will make sure my family of survivalists-in-waiting are fully prepared with a big hearty breakfast of American Pancakes with Pig-Flu Free Bacon and Sausages and Chicken-Flu Free Scrambled Eggs (I am assuming pancakes cannot act as flu transfer agents)

Serves four people (well two people and two eating machines)

For the pancakes

• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• pinch salt
• 300ml (1/2 pint) milk
• 2 eggs
• 30g butter, melted
• 225g plain flour
• maple syrup to serve

Sides

• 9 eggs
• butter (about 1 tbsp)
• 12 rashers streaky bacon
• 8 good quality sausages

This creation is less about cooking skill and more about time management skill. Getting everything together so you serve everything at the same time so its a) cooked enough but not too much and b) not too cold isn’t that easy.

First combine all the pancake ingredients in a large jug with a metal whisk. The consistency should be thick – thicker than normal skinny pancakes:

Now put the sauasages on in the oven. Cook for about 10 mins and then add the bacon to the oven. Meanwhile whisk up the eggs for the scrambled eggs.

Melt the butter in a pan and pour in the eggs. Cook on the lowest heat, stirring frequently but gently (just to make sure the eggs don’t stick).

Get out a large skillet and start making the pancakes. Heat the skillet till its getting a bit smokey then turn it down a bit. Pour on some batter.

Once the batter starts to bubble turn them over for 20 or 30 seconds. Then remove and place on warm plate. Drizzle on some maple syrup.

Once the bacon and sausages are done turn off the oven and transfer them to serving dishes. Keep the cooked pancakes in the oven as you build up a pile of them.

Now it’s time to serve up. (Don’t forget the eggs).

This was brunch. Those pancakes were too good.