Perfect Poppy-seeds Pancakes
"Flip out on Pancake Day and go bananas with the poppy seeds. Our perfect pancakes will make you feel so fruity you'll definitely want them more than once a year!"
Ingredients:
For the pancakes:
50g/2oz plain white flour
50g/2oz gram flour, sifted
15g/1/2oz poppy seeds
300ml/1/2 pint soya milk
pinch of salt
5ml/1tsp sunflower oil
150ml/5floz natural soya yoghurt
For the filling:
2 ripe bananas, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
50g/2oz ready-to-eat dried apricots, chopped
50g/2oz toasted almonds, chopped
5ml/1tsp groundnut oil
To decorate:
1tsp poppy seeds (optional)
thin slivers of lemon zest
Method :
To make the pancakes blend the flours, poppy seeds, soya milk and salt in a blender or food processor.
Leave to stand for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling by mixing the bananas, lemon juice, apricots and almonds together.
Heat a little oil in a non–stick pancake pan.
Use a 50ml/2oz ladle to measure the batter for each pancake.
Pour the batter for one pancake into the pan, swirling it around to cover the base evenly.
Cook until set and golden brown underneath, then flip the pancake over and cook the other side.
Make eight pancakes and layer to keep warm.
Fill each pancake with a couple of spoonfuls of the filling and fold into quarters.
Arrange two on each serving plate with a spoonful of soya yoghurt.
Sprinkle poppy seeds (if using) and lemon zest on the yoghurt to decorate and serve.
Buckwheat Pancakes with Purée of Swiss Chard
"The secret when cooking Swiss chard is to make sure the stalks are well cooked before adding the leaves. This strongly flavoured vegetable goes well with the equally robust buckwheat. This recipe could be made with spinach."
Ingredients:
For the filling:
1½lb / 770g Swiss chard
2oz / 50g butter
4tbsp fromage frais
salt and pepper
For the batter:
½pint / 300ml milk
1 free-range egg
1tsp oil
2oz / 50g buckwheat flour
2oz / 50g wholemeal flour
pinch salt
a little oil for frying
sesame seeds for garnish
Method:
First prepare the pancake filling.
Wash the chard leaves and remove the stems.
Cut the stems roughly and boil for 10 minutes.
Drain.
Melt the butter then add the cooked stems and leaves and cook for 10 minutes or until the leaves are soft.
Purée the mixture in a food processor or blender. Mix in the fromage frais and season well. Keep the filling warm whilst preparing the pancakes.
Using a food processor or blender, mix the milk, egg and oil together for 30 seconds. Then add the flours and salt and blend again until smooth.
Using a small, preferably non-stick pan, heat a little oil and when the pan is smoking add 2tbsp batter and fry the pancake for 2-3 minutes on either side.
Fill each pancake with the vegetable puree and roll up.
Sprinkle on some sesame seeds and serve hot accompanied by a mushroom or tomato sauce.
(recipes created by the Cordon Vert cookery school, www.vegsoc.org)
(Recipes by Sainsbury's.co.uk)
Perfect McDougall's Pancakes Every Time
Serves 6-8 pancakes
Ingredients:
125g McDougalls or Bero Plain Flour
1 medium egg
300ml milk
Hartley’s Strawberry Squeezy Jam
Gales Blossom Honey
Cadbury Milk Chocolate Spread
Method
Add the flour into a bowl and make a well into the centre. Add the egg, gradually add the milk and whisk until smooth.
Add a few drops of oil into a frying pan over heat. Pour a little batter evenly into the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes until the underside is golden. Loosen the edges of the pancake then flip it over and repeat.
For delicious toppings try squeezing over Hartley’s Strawberry Squeezy Jam or Gales Honey. Smothering with Cadburys chocolate spread is also just as irresistible!
Savoury beef pancakes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
250g minced beef
½ onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery, stick chopped
150ml beef stock
2 tablespoons sherry
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 tablespoon cornflour blended with 2 tablespoons water
4 cooked pancakes
To serve:
parsley sprigs and tomato
Method:
Fry the beef in a dry frying pan, stirring until evenly browned. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring until they are tender. Add the stock, sherry, tomato puree, and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.
Stir in the blended cornflour. Bring to the boil, stirring and cook for one to two minutes. Check the seasoning. Cool, then divide between the pancakes and roll up.
To freeze, place the pancakes in a foil dish in a single layer. Cover, place in a polythene bag, seal, label and freeze.
To serve, uncover and reheat from frozen in a preheated moderately hot oven, 190°C, 375°F, gas mark 5 for 45 to 50 minutes. Serve garnished with parsley and sliced tomato.
Blueberry drop scone pancakes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
100g blueberries, thawed if frozen
175g plain flour
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
1 large egg
200ml skimmed milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Wedges of lemon
Maple syrup to drizzle
Method:
Sieve the flour into a bowl and mix in the sugar, lemon rind and blueberries.
Make a well in the centre and add the egg. Beat gently with sufficient milk to form a thick batter. Brush a large non-stick frying pan with a little oil, heat until hot and drop tablespoonfuls of the mixture on to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until set.
Turn over and cook for a further 1-2 minutes until lightly golden.
Drain and keep warm whilst using up the remaining batter. This should be enough to make 16 small, thick pancakes.
Serve with wedges of lemon to squeeze over and drizzles of maple syrup.
(Recipes by Waitrose.com)
Baked Pancakes with Spinach, Cream and Gruyère
"The secret of this recipe is to make a very fine pancake mixture: thin enough to spread in the pan but thick enough to cook. Unfortunately only practice makes perfect in achieving this!"
Serves 4
Ingredients:
100g plain flour
2 eggs
200ml whole milk
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
50g unsalted butter
1 tbsp sunflower oil
400ml whipping cream
A pinch grated nutmeg
50g Gruyère, finely grated
Filling:
40g unsalted butter
300g spinach, washed and dried, stalks removed
200g button mushrooms, in 3mm-thick slices
50g Gruyère
Method:
For the pancake batter, put the flour in a mixing bowl, make a well and crack the eggs into it; season.
Whisk the eggs, incorporating the flour little by little. Thin the mixture with a little milk, then gradually pour in the rest of it, whisking continuously.
Add the herbs. Separately, heat the butter in a small pan until golden and foaming, then add it to the batter, whisking all the time. Reserve in the fridge until needed.
For the filling, melt 20g butter in a frying pan on a high heat and throw in the spinach. Cook, stirring all the time, for 2 minutes; season.
Drain and chop the spinach; reserve. On a high heat, heat the remaining butter and cook the mushrooms for 2 minutes. Season.
Mix with the spinach and stir in the Gruyère. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6. Have ready a spatula, and a tray to place the pancakes on once cooked.
Heat an 18cm frying pan over a medium heat, and add 1 tsp oil. Swirl the oil around. (If the pancake batter has separated, give it a whisk.)
Add just enough batter to the hot pan to cover the surface when swirled. Cook for 15–20 seconds.
Slide the spatula underneath and flip the pancake over. Cook for a further 15–20 seconds. Repeat until all the batter is used up – you should have eight thin pancakes.
Divide the filling between the pancakes, roll up tightly and place in a gratin dish. Bring the whipping cream to a rolling boil, add the nutmeg and season.
Pour the cream over the pancakes and scatter the cheese over the top. Bake the pancakes for 20 minutes until golden.
Pancakes in Tangy Lemon Butter
Makes 8 pancakes
Ingredients:
100g plain flour
2 medium eggs
300ml milk
2 tbsp melted unsalted butter, plus a little extra for frying
For the lemon butter:
100g softened unsalted butter
125g icing sugar
Grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
Method:
Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Crack the eggs into the well and whisk the mixture together.
Gradually whisk in the milk until you have a smooth batter. Cover and set aside.
To make the lemon butter, beat the softened butter, icing sugar and lemon zest together until light and fluffy.
Stir the melted butter into the pancake batter. Heat a small knob of butter in a 20cm crêpe or non-stick frying pan.
Add a small ladleful of batter and swirl around to coat the pan. Cook over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes, until the pancake is lightly golden underneath, then flip over and cook for a further minute.
Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter to make eight pancakes.
To serve, melt a small amount of the lemon butter in the pan with a little of the lemon juice and toss a pancake in the foaming butter. Fold in half and then in half again. Repeat until all the pancakes, butter and lemon juice have been used.
Serve two pancakes per person on warmed plates.
Cook's tips:
Adding butter to the pancake batter means you won’t have to use as much to cook them.
Make the pancakes in advance, separate between layers of baking parchment, wrap in foil and freeze for up to a month. Defrost thoroughly before heating through.
Apple and cinnamon pancakes
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
125g essential Waitrose self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
1 medium egg
125ml essential Waitrose semi-skimmed milk
2 Waitrose English apples, peeled, cored and cubed
1tbsp caster sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
15g butter
4 tbsp Bonne Maman Confiture de Caramel
Method:
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Make a well in the centre, then add the egg.
Gradually beat in the milk, bringing in the flour from the edges to make a thick smooth batter. Set aside.
Toss the apple cubes in the sugar and cinnamon. Melt half the butter in a small non-stick pan. Add the apple and cook for 1–2 minutes until golden.
Brush a non-stick frying pan or griddle with the remaining butter, heat over a medium flame, then place a few of the apple cubes on the pan. Drop 1 tbsp of the batter on top.
Cook for 2–3 minutes until bubbles burst and the underside is golden. Turn the pancake and cook for 1 minute.
Repeat with the remaining mixture while keeping the pancakes warm in a low oven. Serve with the caramel sauce and scoops of vanilla ice cream.
Cook's tips:
Sliced banana or diced pear work really well instead of the apple in this recipe.
