Michelle Darmody: How to make raspberry and rosewater pancakes this Pancake Tuesday
Michelle Darmody: "Pancakes feature in cultures throughout the world, from buckwheat varieties in France and the Balkan regions, to rice batter pancakes throughout much of Asia."
There is a collision of pancakes and romance this week with Valentine’s Day and Pancake Tuesday falling so close together.
You can combine them both this weekend and make this recipe for your Valentine, smothering their pancakes in raspberry and rose compote and a dusting of icing sugar. The perfect sweet treat for the one you love.
I like the versatility of these pancakes; they can just as easily be used for a savoury meal as well as a sweet. It is a recipe for thin, crepe-like pancakes as opposed to the fluffy American ones that have crossed the Atlantic and become very popular here.
Pancakes feature in cultures throughout the world, from buckwheat varieties in France and the Balkan regions, to rice batter pancakes throughout much of Asia.
When I was growing up in Ireland, pancakes were all this thin variety and usually served with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkling of granulated sugar, at times a spoon of jam was swirled on before the lemon juice was dripped onto the pancake. Simple and delicious.
Because these pancakes are so thin, you do not need to add any raising agent, you do not want the batter to rise and puff up.
The flour and eggs provide the structure. As the flour combines with the eggs and milk the proteins that form from gluten in the flour hold the batter together.
Leaving the batter to rest for a while allows this process to take hold and makes for pancakes that are less chewy and more delicate.
Raspberry and rosewater pancakes
There is a collision of pancakes and romance this week with Valentine’s Day and Pancake Tuesday falling so close together. You can combine them both this weekend and make this recipe for your Valentine, smothering their pancakes in raspberry and rose comp
Servings
10Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
2 minsTotal Time
12 minsCourse
DessertIngredients
150g plain flour
pinch fine sea salt
3 eggs, lightly whisked
400mls milk
1 tbs butter, melted
200g frozen raspberries
1 tbsp golden caster sugar
1 tbsp rose water - optional
1 tbsp honey
100g natural Greek yogurt, to serve
icing sugar, for sprinkling
Method
Stir the salt into the flour and make a well in the center and set aside.
Whisk the eggs and milk together and set aside.
Melt the butter in a large flat pan.
Pour the melted butter into the egg mixture and remove the pan from the heat while you whisk the batter.
Add the liquid to the well in the centre of your flour and bring the flour into the liquid.
Lightly whisk until you have a smooth batter.
If you are making the pancakes straight away, reheat the pan with the butter.
When the pan is hot, pour a ladleful of batter onto your pan and swirl it around until the pan is completely coated.
Pour any excess batter back into the bowl or jug.
When there are little bubbles forming on the surface of the pancake, it is time to flip it over.
Cook on the other side until golden then slide it onto a warm plate.
Store the made pancakes in an oven on a low heat, with another plate on top to keep the moisture in and stop the pancakes drying out as you make more.
You can make your raspberry compote before or after your stack of pancakes. To make it, add the frozen raspberries into a saucepan with the golden caster sugar. Allow to simmer at a very low heat for 10 minutes with the lid off the saucepan.
Add the rosewater and honey and remove from the heat.
Serve a heart of berry compote on your pancake with some Greek yogurt on the side and a light dusting of icing sugar if you wish.
Do not over-whisk the batter as it will make the pancakes tough. Making the well in the flour allows you to combine the ingredients before whisking.
If you like thicker pancakes, leave the batter standing for a few hours or overnight in the fridge. The proteins in the flour will expand and relax more, the batter will thicken up and give you a nicer textured pancake.
I pour the batter into a jug with a wide brim and leave it to stand in that so it is then easier to pour directly onto the hot pan without the use of a ladle. Even if it is a little thicker after resting you still want your batter to pour easily and to be able to coat the pan with ease, so whisk in a little more milk if it has firmed up too much.
With a flat 10-inch pan you will get about ten pancakes with this amount of batter. You can, of course, double the recipe for a big group.
I find that adding butter into the batter helps to stop the pancakes sticking and gives a glossier finish.
Your batter should start to cook as soon as it hits the pan so the swirl is quickly. If the pan is not hot enough your pancakes will turn out rubbery.
You can freeze the pancakes. I tend to fold them in half before I do, as when they are flat, they are quite big for my freezer. You can also put parchment between each pancake to make it easier to defrost the amount that you want. Once placed on the parchment you can then put them into a freezer bag. They will last about a month in the freezer. To defrost the pancakes, take them out at least two hours before you want to serve them. Place them into an oven dish with a lid and into an oven preheated to 180ºC /gas mark 4 until warmed through.
It is advisable to let the lid off the simmering compote as you want the liquid to evaporate and for the berries to thicken. If you keep the lid on, the steam condenses and goes back into the berries. You can stir them every now and then as they simmer. Different raspberries will contain differ amounts of water so you can keep an eye and take them off the heat when you feel they are thick enough.
Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of maple syrup into the batter to sweeten it up a little. I like to serve these pancakes with pear compote and a spoon of natural yogurt. To make the pear compote, peel, core and dice three ripe pears.
Place them into a saucepan with 50ml of maple syrup and the zest of an orange. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the pear pieces are soft and combined.
This is a classic for a reason, it is delicious. The combination of cold vanilla ice cream and hot orange liqueur is wonderful. When heated, the liqueur sauce becomes syrupy and creates a tasty coating for the pancake and ice cream. Add the zest and juice of two small oranges into a heavy-based saucepan. Add 60g of golden caster sugar and 170g of soft butter.
Bring to a simmer and allow to gently bubble for ten minutes then add 80ml of Grand Marnier and set aside. Place a warm pancake onto a plate and scoop a stiffly frozen scoop of vanilla ice cream into the centre of the pancake. Fold the pancake over the ice cream and pour some sauce over the top. Serve straight away and repeat for the next pancake.
You can add a teaspoon of powdered cinnamon to the flour to add flavour throughout the pancakes. Apple and cinnamon are a great combination. To make the compote peel, core and dice 3 medium-sized apples.
Add them to a saucepan with 50mls of maple syrup and simmer until soft. Add 1 tsp of ground cinnamon or ground cake spice. This is nice served with chopped pecan nuts.
