Pikelets (small, sweet, plump pancakes)

After 8 years of living in London, I can't believe it took me until a few weekends ago to have food nostalgia for these classic Kiwi tea time treats. Obviously, too busy getting my fix of UK's quality pre-bought scones and real Devon and Cornwall clotted cream. I never realised just how unique the humble Pikelet recipe was to New Zealand.

Ingredients

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup milk

optional - 2 drops of vanilla essence

Butter for the pan

Makes about 16

Method

In a large bowl beat the egg and the sugar with a whisk. Into this mixture, sift half the portion of flour (1/2 cup) and baking powder (1/2 teaspoon), add a third of the milk and combine. Sift in the remaining flour and baking powder. Gradually add the rest of the milk and keep blending, using the whisk, until it resembles a nice smooth, lump free batter.

Warm a non stick frying pan on a low heat. Add a knob of butter. Once melted, dollop the Pikelet mixture into the pan, about 1- 2 tablespoon amounts, you can usually squeeze 3- 4 in a pan. Patiently wait for bubbles to appear on the surface and burst, then flip the cake over to cook for a further minute on the other side. Serve warm with jam, or the traditional Kiwi topping of jam and whipped cream.

(1 Banana) Banana bread

I only ever seem to have one lonely banana left in the fruit bowl and whereas most B bread recipes require at least two pieces of fruit, this one is brilliantly thrifty needing only 1 ripe banana to produce a delicious flavoured loaf, moist and natually sweet (plus the soft brown sugar! Adds a complimentary caramel flavour). And for aesthetics I like to add a scattered line of ground flaxseed on the top before baking.

Ingredients

1 & 1/2 cups flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking soda

2/3 cup soft brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 egg, plus milk to top up to 1 cup

100 grams melted butter

1 ripe banana, broken into soft chunks

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Grease a loaf tin with butter.

Assemble all of the ingredients into a large bowl, beginning with the sifted flour and baking soda. Then with a hand mixer on the lowest speed setting, beat the ingredients until they're just amalgamated (don't over do it!), stopping once to scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula to ensure everything is combined.

Pour into bread tin. Optional, sprinkle about a tablespoon of ground flaxseed down the middle. Bake for 45- 55 minutes. 

Cool in tin and then turn out onto wire rack for final cool down.