A Taste of Hawaii

"Waking up too early

Maybe we can sleep in

I'll make you banana pancakes

Pretend like it's the weekend now

And we could pretend it all the time" 

- Jack Johnson

This recipe makes me think of Jack Johnson playing in the background on a quiet Sunday morning, the early morning light poring into the still dark kitchen, as I meditatively combine ingredients and wait for my macadamia sauce to thicken. It is a nice thought, but very far from the reality. 

In reality, it was 12:45 in the afternoon, and the football game was going to start soon We were starving hungry and popping turkey sausage links, waiting anxiously for the macadamia nut sauce to thicken. Pretty soon, he was splitting his time between watching the pancakes and watching the game for the most part, but once the sauce started to thicken up and fill the air with delicious smells, neither of us could stay away from the stove, and we stood arms around each other, proud of our success.

You can't get that kind of moment at IHOP, ladies and gentleman.

Banana Pancakes
Makes enough to serve 4 people

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, vegetable oil and bananas.
2. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; batter will be slightly lumpy.
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides; serve hot.

Macadamia Nut Sauce

1 cup macadamia nuts
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon flour
1 cup whole milk
1 cup cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice

Grind macadamia nuts in a food processor until fine. Place nuts into a medium saucepan and fry over medium high heat for 5 min or until fragrant. Remove from pan, and set aside.

Lower heat to medium and add the butter, stirring until melted. Stir in flour and cook 1 min. Slowly pour in milk and cream, constantly whisking the whole time. Add sugar, salt, vanilla to the pan. Cook 5 min or until thickened, stirring constantly (I ended up adding an additional 1/2 Tbsp of flour out of impatience at this point). Stir in lemon juice and half of the ground macadamias.

Pour sauce into a serving dish. Serve warm and sprinkle remaining ground macadamia nuts on top of each serving.

Allergens: Wheat, gluten, egg, milk, tree nuts

Nutrition (1/4 pancake recipe): 300 calories, 11 g fat, 7 g sat fat, 53 mg cholesterol, 435 mg sodium, 373 mg potassium, 44 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 14 g sugar, 7 g protein, 4% vitamin A, 9% vitamin C, 22% calcium, 12% iron, 20% vitamin B-6, 19% folate, 11% niacin, 18% phosphorous, 22% riboflavin, 20% thiamin, 19% selenium, 15% manganese (1/8 sauce recipe): 235 calories, 21 g fat, 7 g sat fat, 27 mg cholesterol, 326 mg sodium, 146 mg potassium, 10 g carbs, 1.5 g fiber, 7 g sugar, 3 g protein, 5% vitamin A, 1% vitamin C, 8% calcium, 4% iron, 15% thiamin, 35% manganese