Give the pancake a new lease of life for this special Sunday brunch.
Give the pancake a new lease of life for this special Sunday brunch.
For a Mother’s Day family brunch that will please most people, pancakes and hotcakes are a good bet. They can be savoury, sweet or a combination. Pancakes can be made ahead, stacked and tightly covered with foil or plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator. Bring them back to room temperature before separating and filling them with stewed fruit or a light vegetable filling, or wrapping them around creamy scrambled egg.
These light ricotta hotcakes are based on a recipe from Sydney’s king of cafe food, Bill Granger, who has popular casual eateries in Japan, Korea, Hawaii and as far afield as London. I first tried them at one of his smart little cafes perched high in a multistorey building in Tokyo, and have been in love with his clever concepts and simple food ever since. The hotcakes are best straight off the griddle but they, too, can be made ahead. Serve them with freerange bacon and freshly sliced banana.
Pure maple syrup is obligatory with pancakes or hotcakes.
BABY RICOTTA HOTCAKES WITH BACON, BANANA AND MAPLE SYRUP
170ml milk
4 eggs, separated
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder pinch of salt
1 lemon, finely grated zest only 250g ricotta
50g butter
4 rashers bacon
2 bananas
Maple syrup to serve
Mix together the milk and egg yolks in a large bowl until combined. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Combine the dry ingredients with the milk-and-yolk mixture, then add the lemon zest and ricotta and stir everything together gently.
In a separate clean, dry stainlesssteel bowl, whisk the egg whites with an electric beater until stiff peaks form. Gently fold half the egg-white
mixture into the batter using a metal spoon, until well incorporated, then very gently fold in the remaining egg white.
Melt a spoonful of butter in a non-stick frying pan. Ladle large tablespoons of the batter into the pan, about 3 or 4 at a time, and cook over gentle heat. When the hotcakes are golden underneath, slide a flexible fish slice under them and turn them to cook the other side. Repeat this until all the mixture is used.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon under the grill until it is starting to crisp.
Drain on paper towels. Slice the bananas thickly and serve the hotcakes in piles of three or four with bacon and slices of banana. Drizzle everything generously with maple syrup. Serves 4-6.
Wine match: Champagne with orange juice.
CRÊPES WITH APPLE AND MAPLE SYRUP
FOR THE CRÊPES: 2 eggs
200ml milk
3 tbsp melted butter 100g plain flour