Banana pancakes

These pancakes are simple to make and delicious to eat. Whisking the egg whites gives them an incredible lightness and lovely fluffy texture. Mashing the banana into the batter adds sweetness without adding sugar and also gives additional banana flavour. You can finish these with fresh fruit, berries and nuts to make it even tastier, or go all out and grate over some dark chocolate for a special treat.

Ingredients

3 medium	Bananas (Main)
2	Eggs, seperated
100 g	Yoghurt, plus more to serve
50 g	Butter, melted and cooled plus more for cooking
150 ml	Milk
½ tsp	Vanilla paste, or essence
½ tsp	Salt
1 cup	Self raising flour
50 ml	Honey, golen or maple syrup to serve

Directions

1. Mash one banana with a fork and then whisk together with the egg yolks. Mix in the yoghurt and melted butter, then add the milk and vanilla essence and whisk until smooth.
2. Add the salt and flour and stir until just combined and a batter is formed.
3. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold into the batter half at a time trying to keep as much air as possible in the batter (if you prefer a thinner pancake you can add a little more milk).
4. Slice the other bananas into half centimetre slices.
5. Add a little butter to a medium hot non-stick frying pan and then place banana slices in groups of three for each pancake. Allow them to cook for 2 minutes.
6. Pour 2 tablespoons of batter over each group of bananas to form a pancake and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes until the top has bubbles and is starting to dry out a little. Carefully flip and cook on the other side another 1-2 minutes.
7. Remove, keep warm and serve in a stack with honey and natural yoghurt.

New Zealander Ben MacDonald is a contestant on MasterChef Australia, screening on TV One Tuesday through Saturday at 7.30pm. Each week, until he is eliminated — or, indeed, wins — he will share his experience with us.