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This is our favourite for a Sunday afternoon treat - delicious with a dollop of whipped cream!
Ingredients
200g self-raising flour
1½ tsp baking powder
3 tbsp golden caster sugar
3 large eggs
25g melted butter , plus extra for cooking
200ml milk
a drizzle of vegetable or sunflower oil
200g chocolate hazelnut spread
2 large bananas , peeled and thickly sliced on an angle
maple syrup and 4 tbsp toasted, chopped hazelnuts, to serve
Method
1) To make the pancake batter, mix the flour, baking powder, 1 tbsp sugar and a pinch of salt in a large bowl with a whisk. Make a well in the centre, crack in the eggs and add the melted butter and milk. Whisk the wet ingredients in the centre until combined, then gradually incorporate the dry ingredients until you have a thick, smooth batter. Transfer to a jug. Heat the oven to its lowest setting and put a couple of baking trays in to keep the pancakes warm as you cook them.
2) Heat a knob of butter and a drizzle of oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. When the butter is foaming, pour rounds of batter into the pan, about 8cm wide – leave space between them as they will expand as they cook. Scoop teaspoons of chocolate spread from the jar and pop one in the centre of each pancake, then use a tiny bit more batter to just cover the chocolate spread. Continue cooking for 1-2 mins until the underside is golden brown, then carefully flip the pancakes and cook for 1 min more on the other side. When golden, transfer to a baking tray and keep warm in the oven while you cook the next batch.
3) When the pancakes are all cooked, caramelise the bananas. Wipe the frying pan clean with kitchen paper and scatter in the remaining 2 tbsp sugar. Heat the sugar until it melts and starts to bubble to a deep amber colour, then toss in the bananas and coat them in the caramel. If the sugar hardens, drizzle in a little maple syrup or water, then bubble for 30 secs until syrupy.
4) Serve the pancakes stacked with the caramelised banana pieces between the layers and more piled on top. Drizzle over the maple syrup, then scatter over the hazelnuts.
An easy dinner that we love on a cold rainy evening!
Ingredients
75g unsalted butter, plus extra to cook
125g plain flour
3 medium eggs
300ml semi skimmed milk
450g onions
A handful of thyme
200g Comté
200g cave-aged Gruyère
Method
1) Melt 75g butter in the microwave or in a small pan on the hob, then set aside to cool slightly. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl, then add a pinch of salt. Whisk lightly to combine.
2) Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and beat together. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in half the beaten egg. Whisk together to make a thick paste. Pour in 1/3 of the milk and whisk again till smoothly combined. Whisk in the remaining eggs, then whisk in the remaining milk with the melted butter. You should have a smooth batter that’s the consistency of single cream. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and set aside for 1 hr to rest.
3) While the batter rests, caramelise the onions. Peel and finely slice the onions. Pick the thyme leaves off their sprigs. Set a medium pan on a low heat and melt 1 tbsp butter in the pan. Add the onions and thyme leaves and season with a pinch of salt. Gently fry for 30-40 mins, stirring occasionally, till the onions are meltingly soft and browned. This is a slow process but you do get soft, sticky onions at the end. Pop a lid on the pan and set the caramelised onions to one side.
4) Coarsely grate the Comté and Gruyère. Set your oven to a low heat and pop a heatproof plate in there to keep warm.
5) Put a frying pan on a medium heat to warm up for 2-3 mins. Add 1-2 tsp butter and swirl round the pan to melt it. Give the batter a quick whisk to make sure it's evenly mixed. Add a couple of tablespoons or half a ladle of batter to the pan and swirl to coat the base – the crêpe should be thin and lacy, so don’t use too much batter. Fry for 2-3 mins, loosening the edges of the crepe with a spatula or palette knife. When the edges have browned, flip the crêpe over and cook for 1-2 mins till golden brown underneath. Slide onto the plate and keep warm in the oven. Repeat till you've used up all the batter. You should make around 8-10 crêpes.
6) To serve, pop a crêpe on a warm serving plate and sprinkle over a little grated cheese. Top with a spoonful of caramelised onions, then fold the crêpe in half, then fold it into quarters. You can pop the stuffed crêpes back into the oven for a few mins to melt the cheese, or serve straight away, garnished with a pinch of thyme leaves.
The batter will keep in the fridge in a sealed tub for 2-3 days, if you don’t want to make all the crêpes at the same time.
Finally, a gluten free, dairy free, vegan option! These yummy crepes from Simple Vegan. We really like to add a dollop of coconut yogurt to them!
Ingredients
3/4 cup oat flour (80g)
3/4 cup buckwheat flour (100 g)
1 cup coconut milk (250 ml)
1 cup oat milk (250 ml)
1 tbsp almond butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 banana
3 diced apples
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp ground cinnamon
handful of frozen raspberries
Method
1) Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2) Heat a non-stick skillet (or a lightly greased skillet) over medium heat. Pour about ¼ cup batter onto the pan, twirling the batter around to cover the whole bottom of the pan.
3) Cook for about one minute or until the batter gets darker, loosen the edges with a butter knife and flip the crepe.
4) Cook for about one minute more until brown the other side of the crepe.
5) To make your filling, place the apples, the 3 tbsp maple syrup and the cinnamon in a saucepan and cook for 15 minutes over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally.
6) Serve the crepes with the apple filling, some frozen raspberries and extra maple syrup.
Recipe credit: @Simple Vegan Blog