Hear! Hear! for Administrative Professionals, the women and men who help us serve our clients well and who make our lives easier. Your assistance is invaluable.
In 1952, the United States Secretary of Commerce, Charles Sawyer, declared June 1-7 as National Secretaries Week. In 1955, the week was moved to the last full week of April, and in 2000, the unofficial holiday was rechristened as Administrative Professionals Week to acknowledge the expanding roles of office workers.
At my law firm, we formally recognize our administrative staff by cooking and serving breakfast during the last week of April. I’ve been in charge of planning the menu for the past five years. Our staff is talented and “over the top,” so each year I try to come up with a menu item that is new and sufficiently “over the top” to recognize their contribution.
This year’s “over-the-top” recipe was Double Chocolate Pancakes with Chocolate Ganache, based on a recipe submitted by zerrin on www.giverecipe.com. This recipe has everything chocolate — cocoa, chocolate chips, and an amazing smooth ganache. It’s like eating cake for breakfast!
Days after we served breakfast, I’m still getting compliments on the recipe. My favorite comment came in an email from one of my colleagues: “They were awesome! I thought my tongue was going to slap my brains out.”
Try them. Then hold on to your brain so that it doesn’t get slapped out of your head.
Double Chocolate Pancakes with Chocolate Ganache
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
Whisk the egg and sugar until creamy. Add in the milk and oil. Whisk until combined.
In another bowl, whisk the dry ingredients until well mixed. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until well combined. The batter will be thick. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Cook the pancakes over medium heat for about 1-2 minutes per side. Serve with chocolate ganache.
Chocolate Ganache
- 4 oz. chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Heat the cream in a saucepan until it shimmers. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips. Do not stir the mixture for 5 minutes. Then whisk the chocolate chips until they form a silky ganache. Serve at room temperature.
Makes about 8 pancakes.