Chocolate Pancakes Cooked Cutthroat Kitchen Style (Gluten-Free Option)
One of the running jokes on our trip to Morocco in 2016 was that I’m learned how to cook “Cutthroat Kitchen style,” including making chocolate pancakes.
If you haven’t seen Alton Brown’s Cutthroat Kitchen, I highly recommend you do.
It’s an amazingly funny show where chefs compete to win money. The twist is that Alton Brown takes away their tools or gives them crazy items in the place of regular tools to help them create their dishes. The competing chefs start with a certain amount of money, and they are allowed to buy advantages for themselves and disadvantages for the other competitors to help each of them win. Hilarious show and I digress.
But the hubby wanted chocolate cake while we were in Morocco, which left me figuring out how I was going to accomplish making one with the tools and equipment in our Moroccan kitchens.
Why Cooking Chocolate Pancakes in Morocco was Cutthroat Kitchen Style
Since we were spending a month in each location, we booked Airbnb flats with ‘equipped’ kitchens. Only to find out once we got there, most of the kitchens appeared to be filled with the leftover cook-dishware, including ones with loose pot handles and no sharp knives. Basically, a mishmash of rag-tag items.
We suspect it’s because most people eat out all the time since the cost of eating out in Morocco is so inexpensive. BUT for those of us who were spending quite a bit of time there, eating in is also nice. As is having kitchen utensils, pots, knives, and the dishes and silverware to eat on.
I’m not complaining (well maybe a little), just stating a fact of how things can be in Airbnb units. We’ve encountered the same scenario in other countries as well. Like in both Italy and Portugal we didn’t have a wine opener. How the F*** does that happen? These are wine-drinking countries!
All that said, we never lacked for a tagine pot or a teapot and glasses to make Moroccan mint tea.
Knife Safety 101
You wouldn’t believe some of the knives in these places. Or in many kitchens around the world. Most people leave their sharp knives as dull as butter knives. It’s the number 1 reason people get cut in the kitchen. Fortunately, we carry a knife sharpener because we’ve realized between house sitting and Airbnb’s, everyone has dull knives.
If you want to avoid getting cut in the kitchen, sharpen your knives. A sharpener, electric or hand-held, costs about $20 USD or you can have them sharpened professionally. Here in Portugal, the knife sharpener guy comes through the neighborhood about once every two weeks, picking up knives to sharpen for people.
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Why I Made Chocolate Pancakes Instead of Chocolate Cake
Chocolate cake is in noticeably short supply in Morocco. Meaning that we haven’t found it anywhere.
Because I love my wonderful hubby, I had to help cure the cravings. Especially since we weren’t flying out of Morocco for another five weeks.
Also, we, like many Moroccans, did not have an oven at home. Most take their dough for the daily bread down to the local baker to have their bread baked. Or just buy it from the baker. Roasting and baking are not really a thing there as most of the foods are cooked on the stove. No oven equals no baking. So, chocolate pancakes it was because they will cook on the stove.
Morocco produces beautiful dark cocoa powder and chocolate bars for cooking. Both went into this recipe. If you come across Moroccan chocolate, I do recommend you stock up. The quality and creaminess are excellent.
P.S. This Chocolate Pancake Mix makes awesome gifts for your foodie foods.
Success With Both Chocolate Pancakes and Improving My Cutthroat Kitchen Skills
By the time I left Morocco, I felt able to cook a gourmet meal with a Bunsen burner, a sharp stick, and tree bark dishes using a rock to prep the food. I even learned to flip an over-easy egg using a spoon – WITHOUT breaking the yoke! WOOT!!!
And I made Chocolate Pancakes in Tamraght, Morocco using a pot, a tea glass for a measuring cup, and a spoon, all because David wanted chocolate cake.
What is your best story for cooking without having all the proper tools? How did you overcome and WIN? Let me know in the comments.
Chocolate Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour or use Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp dark chocolate melted
- 1 ½ cups milk or water
- 2 tbsp oil
Instructions
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Form a well in center of the dry ingredients. Add the egg, melted chocolate, oil and water to the well. Add more water if you like thinner pancakes.
- Stir just until mixed. Do not over mix or your pancakes will be tough.
- Preheat a lightly greased non-stick skillet or griddle over medium-low heat.
- Pour small amounts of batter, based on the size pancake you want, into the skillet or griddle.
- Cook until bubbles form the top of the batter and start popping.
- Flip to the other side and cook until pancake center springs back lightly when touched on top. Or you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.
- Serve with your choice of toppings.