STICKY TOFFEE PANCAKES

Ingredients

TOFFEE SAUCE:
• 1/2 cup (93 grams) dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (169 grams) honey
• 1/4 cup (56 grams) heavy cream
• 3 tbsp (42 grams) unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp brandy
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
PANCAKE BATTER:
• 1 large egg white + 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 cup (230 grams) whole milk
• 2 tbsp (42 grams) molasses
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger
• 2 tbsp (27 grams) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/4 cup (168 grams) preferably cake flour, but all-purpose flour is fine
• 1 tbsp (12 grams) light brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• Canola oil and unsalted butter for cooking

Instructions

1. TO MAKE THE TOFFEE SAUCE: Combine dark brown sugar, honey, heavy cream, unsalted butter, brandy and sea salt in a small pot and set over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 3~4 min, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, set aside.
2. TO MAKE THE PANCAKE: In a clean bowl with handheld-mixer, whisk together egg white and cream of tartar on high speed until stiff peak forms. It should look like at least tripled in volume. Set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together whole milk, molasses, egg yolk and grated ginger until even. Sift flour, light brown sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon and allspice right into the wet ingredient. Then add the melted butter and stir everything together with a fork just until it comes into a thick batter. Fold the beated egg white into the batter with a spatula in 3 additions, just until even. Try not to overwork the batter too much.
3. With a flat non-stick skillet with lid, heat 1 tbsp of canola oil and 1 tbsp of unsalted butter over medium heat. Once the butter starts to bubble, spoon the batter onto the skillet. Put the lid on now and turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook for 2-plus min, until the first side of the pancake is golden browned. The steam inside the skillet will help cook the pancakes faster, and I find that it better retains the height of the pancakes as well. Now remove the lid and flip the pancake over. Turn the heat back to medium and cook until the second side is golden browned as well (without lid). Repeat until all the batter is used, and add more canola oil and unsalted butter as you go.
4. Reheat the toffee sauce to loosen the consistency if needed, and serve immediately with pancakes.