By Frank Camorra
Pancakes are one of my favourite ways to start the weekend. They are also a great way to learn how to cook. I have shown my boys how to make pancakes, teaching them the importance of controlling the stove's heat. We have spent mornings making piles of them, turning the flame up and down, slowly becoming familiar with the way the pan keeps and loses its heat. Too hot and the result is dark spots on the surface; too cool and they are pale and tough.
Once you have perfected your cooking technique, you can start experimenting with different ingredients. Buckwheat, spelt and oats are good alternative bases. Then there are flavourings that can be folded through the batter, such as caramelised eschallots and ricotta. Finally, go crazy with the toppings. Try salted caramel bananas or Nutella with the ricotta pancakes as an alternative to the strawberries.
Ricotta pancakes with strawberries. Credit: Marcel Aucar
Ricotta pancakes with strawberries
2 punnets strawberries
¼ cup castor sugar
300g self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
70g butter
1½ cups milk
2 eggs
150g ricotta
Wash the strawberries, slice them in half, place in a bowl and mix in 2 tablespoons of castor sugar. Sift the flour into a bowl and add the salt and remaining sugar. Melt the butter and pour half of it into a small bowl for greasing the pan while cooking. Mix the rest of the butter with the milk and eggs and whisk together. Make a well in the flour and pour the egg mix into the well and stir until combined and smooth. Break the ricotta into small pieces into the batter then fold in. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and brush on some of the reserved melted butter. Spoon in about 1½ tablespoons of batter each for three pancakes, allowing room for them to spread. Cook for two to three minutes until bubbles form on the uncooked side. Flip the pancakes and cook for another minute. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Once cooked, put a couple of pancakes on each plate then spoon some strawberries over, plus some of the juice that comes out of the strawberries. A dusting of icing sugar is optional.
Makes 10 pancakes
Oat pancakes with smoked salmon
¾ cup milk
¾ cup rolled oats (not quick oats)
2 tbsp olive oil, plus enough for frying
2 eschallots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tbsp sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
300g smoked salmon
handful rocket or mustard leaves
Pour milk over the oats and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Add a little oil to a small frying pan, cook the eschallots until soft and golden then set aside to cool. Add the sugar, two tablespoons of olive oil and the egg to the oats and beat together with a fork. Sift in flour, baking powder and salt and stir to form a smooth batter, then mix through the eschallots. If necessary, add one to two tablespoons of milk to thin the mixture. Place a nonstick frying pan over a medium heat, add olive oil to coat the bottom and add four tablespoons of mix to make four pancakes with room to spread. Cook for two minutes on each side, turning once, or until golden brown on both sides. Remove and set aside and cook another four pancakes with the rest of the mix. Lie a piece of smoked salmon on a board, place some rocket on the slice and roll it up; repeat until you have eight salmon rolls. To serve, put two or three pancakes on each plate, put a salmon roll on each pancake and top with another piece of rocket. Finish with a good grind of black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
Makes eight pancakes
TIP
A dollop of creme fraiche would make a great addition to the smoked salmon pancakes.