VALENTINE'S DAY

On Valentine's Day, you want to keep it really simple. Simple ingredients & simple plates always look better than overly themed red & pink decor and food.

This sophisticated brunch consists of bacon hearts, XO pancakes with powdered sugar & berries, a citrus salad with thyme leaves and sugar glaze. Impress your loved ones by saying so much with little accents.

BACON HEARTS

Slice the bacon in half, arrange into heart shapes on a sheet tray & bake for 15 mins at 350 degrees.

XO PANCAKES

I used pancake batter to creates rounds then free hand cut the XO shapes. I sifted some powdered sugar over the pancakes & served it with a fresh bowl of berries & mint.

CITRUS SALAD

Using heart shaped cookie cutters, I cut out shapes from grapefruit, navel oranges, blood oranges, & mandarin oranges.

Grapefruit tends to be bitter, so you always want to top it with sugar or honey. I used a sugar glaze (1/2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp water) with thyme leaves to give it a fresh flavour.

XO

Kiran

ORANGE-INFUSED BLUEBERRY PANCAKES WITH RICOTTA CHEESE

ORANGE-INFUSED BLUEBERRY PANCAKES WITH RICOTTA CHEESE

My favourite breakfast at the Shangri La hotel in Toronto are the blueberry pancakes with orange-infused ricotta cheese. When I got the craving for it, I decided to make my own version.

The salty ricotta cheese balances the sweetness of the orange & maple syrup. Combined with tart blueberries, it is extemely satisfying.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup 'just add water' pancake mix

1 orange

1 sprig of mint

1/2 cup blueberries

2 tbsp ricotta cheese

maple syrup

METHOD

As package instructions state, add water to the pancake mix & whisk until smooth.

Grate orange zest into pancake mix & reserve some for garnish.

Add blueberries to batter & fold in gently.

Remove orange peel & remove orange segments. Squeeze two orange slices into the batter.

Using a ladle, pour pancake batter onto griddle to make the same size pancakes. Flip when bubbles form & set aside.

Top pancake stack with ricotta cheese, orange slices, orange zest, & blueberries. Drizzle with maple syrup & garnish with mint.

XO 

Kiran & THE BLANK PLATE

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE PANCAKES & EGGS BENEDICT WITH HOMEMADE HOLLANDAISE

Simply irresistible! I used a mix of fresh & cooked strawberries and the frosting of a strawberry shortcake birthday cake to give this pancake stack different textures & flavours. This is also my twist on a classic, with the addition of bacon, tomato & avocado, elevating the traditional Eggs Benedict! 

I will be adding recipes regularly, everything ranging from smoothies to breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert & everything in between. 

XO 

Kiran

Check out my catering company's food blog: THE BLANK PLATE