I had a hankering for an almond croissant recently. Nothing beats the flaky layers of buttery croissant with a smattering of toasted flaked almonds , and the heavenly almond-rich Frangipane mixture inside. Sadly it was late in the day and there were none to be found. It was a craving that needed satisfying so I came up with something that could deliver the same flavour and texture profile: French toast with a middle layer of that magical almond and sugar concoction known as Frangipane. Frangipane, for all its fancy sounding name and complex taste, is just almond meal, sugar and egg beaten together. It took me 5 mins to make it, plus the regular time it takes to make French toast. I can't tell you what a success it was. It was a very similar eating experience to an actual almond croissant, and I don't know why I never see it in cafes - this should definitely be a thing! I'd love you to give it a go and tell me what you think! Note: the almond essence is optional because I know not everyone loves the strong marzipan flavour it adds. My household is split over this one so I tend to omit it initially from the frangipane mixture, then divide the mixture and add a few drops of almond essence to one or two portions.
Back in 2013 I took a trip to NZ to see my family. I had a glorious fortnight catching up with loved ones, driving to the top of the north island to see my favourite pottery studios, taking my then 5 & 3yo children to the black sand beaches of my childhood. 11 years later, my son's sole memory of the holiday was going to the cinema in Auckland to see Despicable Me. Typical. Except I'm not much better, because the memory I keep returning to is a glorious breakfast I had in Ponsonby - it was a plate of gingerbread spiced pancakes, stacked high and dripping with butter and syrup.
When I returned home I set about creating my own version and it's since become a family favourite. I like to serve these pancakes with whipped honey cinnamon butter. I've added the simple instructions on how to make it after the pancake recipe - try it and I swear you'll wonder why you ever bothered eating pancakes without whipped butter! |
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