We propose brunch

Whether you call her Mom, or Mommy, or Mamí, or Mama, or Mother—whether you grew up eating pancakes, or Dutch babies, or blinis, or crepes, or griddlecakes—we think that a homemade brunch is the way to go this Mother’s Day (that is, Sunday, May 11^th—just one day after World Fair Trade Day, in case you were wondering). And this isn’t an idle suggestion. We’re sharing our whiz-banger of a pancake recipe, plus a shortlist of Fairtrade brunch accoutrements that give this humble breakfast staple an air of simple celebration.

Brunch accoutrements are what make it fun

Sure, you could pour some maple syrup on your pancakes and call it a day, but don’t slices of Fairtrade bananas and a drizzle of Fairtrade chocolate syrup sound considerably more fun? Of course, you’ll also want to have a hot cuppa ready. And don’t forget the tunes.

• Stop over to your local co-op for a bunch of Fairtrade bananas from Equal Exchange.
• Put your online order in now for Wildly Organic’s Chocolate Syrup—it’s made from just two ingredients: Organic Raw Cacao and Organic Agave.
• You can find Clipper’s Fairtrade black teas at a bevy of retailers, including Acme, Hannaford, Safeway and Vons.
• Perhaps coffee is the desired hot beverage of choice? We point you to Three Keys Coffee, a craft coffee roaster based in Houston, TX that is committed to making specialty coffee accessible. You can find their Fairtrade roasts online (and on-shelf in Texas Walmarts and Houston-area Whole Foods Markets). Plus, each of their roasts comes with a custom playlist on Spotify (for example, check out Congo Square!)!

Pancakes

makes batter for 4 moderately hungry humans

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ½ teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted (plus more for cooking)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• milk to make a thick, pourable batter

DIRECTIONS

1. Add flour, sugar, salt and baking powder to a medium bowl and use a whisk to combine.
2. To the bowl of dry ingredients, add melted butter and beaten eggs. Whisk to combine wet ingredients (it will be *quite* thick).
3. Slowly add in a small quantity of milk. Stir it in, and once it’s incorporated, add a little bit more milk. Continue this process until you have achieved a thick, pourable batter.
4. Place a medium-large sauté pan over medium-high heat and melt 1 Tb butter in the pan.
5. When the butter has melted and the bubbles have started appear, ladle batter onto the pan (you can make one big pancake or several smaller ones). Allow your pancake(s) to cook until edges have started to solidify, then slip a spatula underneath and flip pancake so that it cooks on the other side.
6. Serve out your first pancake, and keep cooking! Add a sliver of butter to the pan before adding more batter to prevent future pancakes from sticking.

A FEW NOTES

• The first pancake is always a little awkward—it’s not you! The pan’s just heating up.
• Start with a thicker batter—it’s much easier to thin than to thicken. If, as you start to cook your batter, you realize that it’s making a pancake too thick for your liking, simply stir a tidge more milk into your bowl of batter and carry on cooking.
• Pancakes are best served hot out of the pan, which means not everyone at your table will be enjoying pancakes at the same time. But fear not! Simply round out your brunch with sides of yogurt or fruit as a preventative measure against hangriness. 

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