Looking for pancakes with a twist for Shrove Tuesday? How about my Pancake Tacos with Caramelized Peaches and Pancetta! Guaranteed to go down a storm!!
Can anyone ever say no to a pile of pancakes?
Sweet fluffy carb-iness, topped with anything your heart desires (we’re talking food desires here – not your husband tidying the house and presenting you with your kindle and a large box of chocolates just because).
Nutella and a huge pile of berries are usually our go-to toppings on a Sunday morning (I don’t let the kids have Nutella during the week, so they really enjoy it on a Sunday).
I wanted to do something a little different for pancake day (my savoury pancakes with bacon and chilli butter are still serious contenders), so I thought I’d go taco style!!
3 reasons:
- Two tacos are plenty! You don’t need to serve up a stack of 6 pancakes per person for that plate to look impressive. It’s not exactly sticking to my diet, but that does help a little with the portion control 🙂
- You get to fill *every* pancake – instead of just decorating the top pancake in a stack with toppings. And who doesn’t love more room for toppings! (Doh! that probably negates the portion control element of point 1)
- No cutlery! Or more to the point, no mummy shouting ‘USE YOUR KNIFE AND FORK’ – because my kids have a tendency to eat like feral animals when pancakes are involved. They’re meant to be picked up and eaten woo hoo!
My taco pancakes are filled with caramelized peaches. Given extra flavour with a splash of vanilla extract, then sprinkled with soft-brown sugar and cooked on the griddle until sticky and sweet.
I whipped up some sweetened cream (see my tip in the recipe on stabilizing your cream so you can make it ahead without it seizing or going too firm) and piped it on, then finished with the ultimate savoury peach-pairing: crispy pancetta ???????? – oh, and a little sprinkle of thyme, because it looks pretty, and lends itself well to sweet and savoury flavours.
I had kids and husband stood in line, waiting for the photos to be finished so they could demolish them the moment I turned off the camera.
The Pancake Tacos with Caramelized Peaches and Pancetta Recipe:
Pancake Tacos with Caramelized Peaches and Pancetta
Ingredients
- 210 g (1 3/4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp light brown muscovado sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) milk half fat or full fat
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
Toppings:
- 4 ripe peaches
- ½ tsp vanilla extract mixed with 2 tsp water
- 4 tbsp soft brown sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 12 slices approx 100g of pancetta
- sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 tbsp syrup or honey
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) double/heavy cream
- 80 g (2/3 cup + 1 tsp) confectioners' sugar icing sugar, sifted
Instructions
- Place the flour, baking powder, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, salt, and milk in a large bowl. Use a balloon whisk to mix until combined.210 g (1 3/4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 3 tbsp light brown muscovado sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract, pinch of salt, 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) milk
- Pour ¼ tbsp. oil in a large skillet, then wipe around with a kitchen towel to cover the pan. Heat the pan on a medium heat until hot. Pour in enough mixture to make three pancakes (approx. ¼ cup of mix per pancake). Turn the pancakes over when bubbles form on top and then burst, and the edges start to look firm (about 1-2 minutes). Cook on the other side for another 1-2 minutes. Repeat with the rest of the mixture - oiling the pan each time - until all the pancakes are cooked (you can keep the pancakes warm in a very low oven whilst you’re making each batch).
- Whilst the pancakes are cooking, whip the cream. Place the cream in a large bowl and whisk until slightly thickened. Add in the confectioners' sugar and whisk again until soft peaks form*. Spoon into a piping bag with a large fluted nozzle and place in the fridge until ready to use.300 ml (1 1/4 cups) double/heavy cream, 80 g (2/3 cup + 1 tsp) confectioners' sugar
- Next, heat up another frying pan (skillet) or a griddle on a high heat.1 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 tbsp olive oil
- Slice the peaches so you have 12 wedges from each peach. Brush with the vanilla-water mixture and sprinkle all over with the brown sugar.4 ripe peaches, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract mixed with 2 tsp water, 4 tbsp soft brown sugar
- Place the peach wedges on the griddle and cook for a minute on each side until the sugar caramelizes. Remove from the heat.
- Add the pancetta into the frying pan and cook for around 30-60 seconds each side until crisp. Remove from the heat.12 slices approx 100g of pancetta
- Now it's time to assemble. Fold one of the pancakes into a taco shape and place on a large serving board/plate/tray. Prop up with a glass or cup on each side to keep it in the taco shape, then place another pancake next to the first in the same way (moving the supporting glass/cup so there are now two tacos in between). Continue this way until all the pancake tacos are in place.
- Take the cream from the fridge and pipe into each pancake. Top with the peach and pancetta sliced, then top with a few fresh thyme leaves.sprigs of fresh thyme
- Serve with syrup or honey.3 tbsp syrup or honey
Notes
Whisk this mixture into your whipped cream. . Nutritional information is per pancake taco
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These “tacos” are awesome! The flavors are so good together. I didn’t have any issue with the batter being too thick. I thought it was perfect. you need a sturdy pancake if you plan to pick them up and eat them like a taco. I ran out of whipping cream so I used whipped cream cheese instead. Excellent substitute. These tacos are beautiful and would impress guests, but I won’t attempt to make these for a crowd or at holidays. Everything is last minute and needs to happen all at once. I cooked the peaches and then pancetta in a skillet so that I could cook the pancakes at the same time and they’d be warmer for serving. My husband declared these “a keeper!”
Yes!
Beautiful treat! However, the pancake recipe really didn’t work for me – they were kmuch too fluffy and the batter far too thick, so it made for super awkward tacos. Next time I’d try another pancake recipe that makes much flatter pancakes. I did add a lot more milk, but it was still very thick and super fluffy. The flavours however are lovely! The thyme is a very nice touch!
I’m always on the look out for recipes that are out of the box and scrumptious and this delicious pancake taco recipe is something I would love to try!
Sweet Heavens !
I love the whole ¨use your knife and fork¨ with the kids, that is me all the time…Okay, this is a stunning idea you have come up with, seriously, this is amazing in everyway! I´m jumping ship and making these on the weekend! thank you for the awesome recipe 🙂
Wow Nicky what a great idea. No wonder Chris and the kids couldn’t wait to dive in. Another yummy looking recipe????