saturday morning pancakes

Easy, fluffy, satisfying and a perfect way to start your weekend. I wasn’t sure if my almond milk substitution would alter the texture of these old fashioned pancakes, but in the end, they didn’t, and the end result was the perfect pancake.

What You’ll Need:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 1/2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp melted butter
1 egg
1 1/4 cup almond milk
Coconut oil

Preparation:

1) Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
2) Whisk in melted butter, egg and almond milk until combined, and let the batter rest for a few minutes.
3) Preheat your skillet over medium heat. I used coconut oil to cook the pancakes, but you could also use cooking spray or butter. Ladle some of the batter into your skillet and cook for 2-3 mins until bubbles appear on top, and then flip it over. Cook the other side until golden brown – another 2 mins or so.

Enjoy with some pure  Canadian maple syrup (none of that disgusting fake Aunt Jemima garbage) and a side of fresh fruit.

– ay

red velvet funnel cake

Restaurant: Home of the Brave
Cuisine: Canadian/American
Address: 589 King St. W. (King & Bathurst)
Location: Toronto, ON
Phone: (416) 366-2736
Price Range: $$

In relation to *this* post, I did return for that red velvet funnel cake and it did not disappoint. Drizzled with a rich cream cheese sauce and served with tangy berries and a silky vanilla bourbon ice cream, this funnel cake was absolutely heavenly.

– ay

 

butter avenue

Bakery: Butter Avenue
Address: 477 Queen St. W. (Queen & Spadina)
Location: Toronto, ON
Phone: (416) 815-8686
Price Range: $$$

I’ve loved macarons for years, and with their surge in popularity the last couple of years, there’s certainly no shortage of places in Toronto to get some of these exquisite cookies.

One of my favourite bakeries is Butter Avenue. Owned by a brother/sister team, this patisserie offers beautifully handcrafted macarons that achieve the delicate balance of perfect cookie to buttercream filling ratio. Butter Avenue wins my heart solely for their earl grey macaron, which is simply divine and my absolute favourite. Earl grey is such an aromatic flavour, and I love it in all sorts of baked goods – shortbread cookies, cupcakes, loafs…it’s all fantastic!  Of course, they offer many other delicious flavours, like white chocolate and lychee, but earl grey remains at the top of my list.

With two locations now in Toronto, it just got easier to get your hands on these lovely French confections. On a side note, do not miss a visit to Butter Avenue during the Christmas holidays – they simply nail the peppermint and gingerbread macarons!

– ay