Delish Pancakes

It’s Pancake Tuesday time of year again. Our last opportunity for a little indulgence before a long, lean Lent begins. I absolutely adore pancakes – any excuse really to rustle up a batch! Unfortunately for my derriére, I am very efficient at making pancakes. One of my surreal TV moments was flippin 150 pancakes on a kiddies TV show called Sattitude. I might add that the production crew ate most of them!

Pancakes fall broadly into two categories: thin crépe like pancakes or small, puffed up American silver dollar pancakes or ‘crumpets’ as I know them. The crépes can be made using wheat flour, buckwheat or spelt. The puffed pancakes come in a myriad of different forms, the most popular being buttermilk, oaty and berry versions.

My Delish Top Tips For Perfect Pancakes:

• Don’t Overbeat Batter - The pancake batter should remain slightly lumpy. If you overbeat it, the texture will become tough and rubbery. Use a balloon whisk and beat lightly by hand. Don’t use an electric mixer, unless you restrain mixing to a  ‘pulse’ for a few seconds.
• Chill Batter – Chilling batter, especiallly for puffed pancakes, for an hour makes a huge difference to how easy it is to work with. Chilled batter will ‘plop’ onto a plan much easier and retain its shape. The same applies to fritter batter for savoury fritters.
• Crépe Pan - This is an inexpensive little pan that will be indispensable for making crépes and omelettes. A small, shallow non-stick pan is the ideal. The shallow depth makes it easier to turn out a pancake or omelette onto a plate.
• Clarified Butter - Clarified butter is ideal to cook pancakes in as it doesn’t burn. Melt a few tablespoons of butter and allow it to separate. Only use the clear fat that floats to the top, the white bits at the bottom are the milk solids that burn.
• Sunflower Oil - Sunflower oil also works very well as a fat to cook pancakes in. It is flavourless and can reach high temperatures without burning. It is also a healthy cooking oil as it contains Omega 6 essential fatty acids.
• Silicone Pastry Brush - This is the ideal untensil to lightly oil your crépe pan with. You will get an even, light coating of oil. Silicone brushes are also heat resistant and easy to wash, making them safe and hygienic.                
• Pallet Knife - This is a long, smooth tool resembling a wide knife but without a sharp edge. Ideal for turning pancakes, but also for pastry, baking and smoothing icing onto cakes.
• Sugar Shaker - A small sugar/flour shaker can be filled with castor sugar, icing sugar, cinnamon or vanilla sugar. Leave on the table for guests to sprinkle on their own sugar, it will ensure a light, even sprinkling rather than a heavy handed blob.

Toppings and Syrups:

• Orange Zest and Cinnamon - Fresh orange zest or a pinch of ground cinnamon can be added to the pancake batter for a natrual sweetness without sugar.
• Berry Pancakes - When making puffed pancakes, drop spoonfuls of batter onto the hot pan as usual, when you see tiny bubbles form, drop in a few blueberries, raspberries or sliced straweberries onto each pancake. Flip over once golden.
• Caramelised Banana -Melt two tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of honey in pan. Add chunky slices of banana and fry until golden. A splash or rum or some cinnamon and lemon work well in addition.
• Avocado and Bacon - For a savoury option, serve pancakes with diced avocado and crispy bacon. Drizzle maple syrup over-the salty/sweet/buttery works!
• Toasted Coconut - Taking some dessicated coconut, lightly toast it in a clean, dry pan without any oil until lightly golden. Be careful not to burn!
• Caramelised Nuts - Melt two tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of honey in pan, add ½ cup of pecan nuts or walnuts and stir until they go sticky and caramelised. A sprinkling of course sea salt adds a quirky twist like salted peanuts and chocolate.
• Cinnamon Sugar - Mix three tablespoons of granulated sugar with two teaspoons of ground cinnamon. Sprinkle on and squeeze over lemon.
• Orange Infused Maple Syrup - Pour a bottle of maple syrup into a small pot. Add the zest of one orange and gently heat for five minutes. Serve warm in a small jug
• Vanilla Infused Maple Syrup - Simply insert one or two used vanilla pods into a bottle of maple syrup. The empty pods will still impart loads of flavour over time.
• Vanilla or Greek Yogurt - I love thick, creamy plain Glenisk Organic Greek yogurt with fresh berries and toasted hazelnuts. For a naturally sweet but sugar free yogurt, add a teaspoon of natural vanilla bean paste per 250ml of plain yoghurt.
• Liqueur Flavoured  Cream - Lightly whip 250ml of a cream. Add one or two tablespoons of a cream liqueur like Baileys’ or Coole Swan, or Frangelico, my favourite hazelnut liqueur.
• Nutella and Salted Peanuts - The most well known brand is Nutella but use your favourite chocolate praline spread. I layer dark chocolate spread then a few blobs of crunchy peanut butter or a scattering of salted peanuts.

If you think this is yummy then stay in touch with me on Facebook or Twitter for even more!

Rozanne 

Delish! Oaty Pancakes

I never really enjoyed porridge until I moved to Ireland, now I love it for breakfast with fruit and Glenisk Organic Greek Yogurt. The Irish soil and climate produces highly nutritious, good quality oats. The grains fluff up really well and have a lovely texture, not boarding school gloop!

This is a great recipe to enjoy even more of this supergrain and very family friendly. Make up the batter and keep it in the fridge for weekend brekkie, just add a little more milk if it gets too thick. Serve with plenty of fresh seasonal fruit and thick and creamy Glenisk Organic Greek Yogurt. Delish!

Serves 6

150g Plain flour

100g Wholemeal flour

100g Porridge oats

2tsp Baking powder

Pinch of salt

50g Sugar

2 Eggs

2tbls Sunflower oil, plus extra for frying

500ml Milk

Glenisk Organic Greek Yogurt

Fresh fruit, maple syrup and yogurt to serve

Method:

1. Whisk together the oil, milk and eggs in a jug or bowl.
2. Sieve the flours, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Stir in the oats and mix well.
3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid.
4. Mix well then allow to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
5. Heat a little sunflower oil in a non-stick pan.
6. Use two tablespoons of batter for each pancake and plop into frying pan. Cook for three minutes on each side. Keep warm while you make the rest of the pancakes.
7. Serve with maple syrup, fruit and thick and creamy yogurt.

150g butter, cubed
350g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
225g caster sugar
2 eggs
275g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
1tbls cocoa powder
250g frozen raspberries, don’t defrost
1tbls cocoa powder, for dusting

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease a deep baking tray with sunflower oil. Line with parchment paper, enough to hang over the sides. Oil the top of the paper too.
2. Melt the butter and 200g of the chocolate in a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water. Allow to cool slightly.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder.
4. Beat the eggs into the chocolate mixture then add the sifted flour.
5. Fold in the chocolate and raspberries.
6. Spread into the tin and bake for 30-35 minutes until just set.
7. Allow to cool before cutting into slices and dusting with cocoa powder.

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate has been proven to have great heart health benefits and to release ‘happy hormones’ in the brain. Dark chocolate also contains eight times the polyphenol antioxidants found in strawberries, so strawberries dipped in dark chocolate are the perfect treat to share with your valentine.

Cocoa is grown on plantations located twenty degrees from the equator in a rainforest atmosphere. This provides the right temperature for optimal growth and for the rainforest midge, insects that pollinate the cocoa tree’s flowers. It isn’t until the cocoa tree is four or five years old that it begins to produce fruit or pods, with an average tree producing only one or two pounds of dried beans a year. The cocoa seeds are in the pod and are harvested twice a year. The pods are cut from the tree, the seeds removed and laid out in trays to ferment for five days. At this point the seeds turn brown and lose some of their bitterness. The seeds are dried and shipped to factories for processing.

The cocoa beans are roasted for up to thirty hours. The outer shell is then removed to reveal the cocoa nib inside. This cocoa nib is then ground into a liquid called cocoa liquor, which contains both the cocoa and cocoa butter. To separate the two, a giant press is used to squeeze out the cocoa butter, leaving behind the cocoa, which is then ground down to cocoa powder.

In 1850, the Cadbury and Fry chocolate companies came up with the idea to take the cocoa powder and cocoa butter and mix them with milk and sugar to form a solid milk chocolate bar. And the rest, as they say, is history. Today many other ingredients are added to chocolate to change the flavour and texture. For the most health benefits, choose chocolate that has at least a seventy percent cocoa content as this is where most of the nutrients are. Avoid chocolate that contains hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil, preservatives, artificial flavours and high quantities of sugar.

Chocolate contains over three hundred chemicals which have scientists working overtime to unlock its secrets. Some of the most prominent research that has been done is on the antioxidants found in cocoa. A recent study by Holland’s National Insitute of Public Health and Environment, shows that dark chocolate contains up to four times the antioxidant catechins found in green tea. The American Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry tested the levels of antioxidants in various foods and found that dark chocolate scored very highly across the board with twice as much polyphenol antioxidants as red wine. These antioxidants have terrific benefits for heart health by lowering high blood pressure through relaxing the blood vessels and improving cholesterol levels. The antioxidants also protect arteries from free radical damage which the body would ‘plaque up’ with cholesterol, like plastering a crack.

The Neurosciences Institute in California continue to research our love affair with chocolate and why we crave, drool over and blissfully enjoy it. Theobromine, a caffeine-like substance, plus almost three hundred other substances in chocolate including phenylethylamine (a stimulant) and anandamide (a feel good chemical), are some of the reasons why eating chocolate is so intensely pleasurable. Physical reactions can range from greater alertness, contentment, cravings for more chocolate and a pharmacological reaction similar to smoking marijauna! While the studies do not imply that chocolate will get you high, it does go some way to explain why we derive such immense joy from eating chocolate.

However ,theobromine, when taken in excess, can cause feelings of anxiety, nervousness, insomnia,  heart disease, intestinal and stomach problems and mood swings. For this reason, children with hyperactivity and concentration problems can react badly to chocolate. Many migraine sufferes have also discovered that chocolate, and more than likely the theobromine, can bring on an attack.

A study by Dr van Praag published in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that a compound in chocolate called epicatechin, can improve brain function. Epicatechin is part of a group of chemicals called flavonols, which have been shown to improve cardiovascular function during exercise and increase blood flow to the brain. Dr Praag’s study suggests that a diet rich in flavonols could be useful in reducing the neurological effects of ageing and degenerative diseases such as  Alzheimer’s disease.

To get the nutritional benefits from chocolate, quality and quantity are key. To increase your gastronomic enjoyment, proper storage will keep the chocolate at its best.

Top Tips For Enjoying Chocolate:

• Choose a chocolate with a cocoa content of at least seventy percent
• Enjoy one or two blocks a day and up to 100g a week. Reduce the amount if you feel unpleasant stimulant effects
• Avoid ‘junky’ chocolate with little cocoa and lots of additives and sugar
• Try dark chocolate with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon for a taste sensation and double the antioxidants!
• For after dinner nibbles, put out a bowl of small dark chocolate pieces, dried cranberries and hazelnuts to nibble on
• Alternatively, try dark chocolate pieces with salty peanuts-addictive!
• Store in a cool, dark place with good air circulation. Dark chocolate will last up to a year (if you can resist eating it!)
• To avoid the ‘sugar bloom’ on chocolate when storing in the fridge, wrap in several layers of foil and then clingfilm
• The ‘sugar bloom’ is when moisture condenses on the surface of the chocolate, drawing the sugar to the surface to crystallize forming grey or whitish streaks
• If you store your chocolate in the freezer, wrap well and allow to defrost in the fridge

If you think this is yummy then stay in touch with me on Facebook or Twitter for even more!

Rozanne 

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Roast Butternut

The pumpkin is probably the most iconic symbol of Halloween. The story of how this came about is really interesting and may surprise you. But beyond being a perfect vegetable to carve into scary faces, the pumpkin can be a very versatile and delicious vegetable for Autumnal cooking.

The Jack-O-Lantern, an iconic symbol of Halloween, actually originates in Irish folklore. It commemorates Jack, a shifty Irish villain, so wicked that neither God nor the Devil wanted him. Rejected by Heaven and Hell, Jack was doomed to wander the earth endlessly for a resting place, his only source of warmth a candle in a carved out turnip. Irish immigrants to America during the potato famine, found pumpkins to be a perfect substitute for turnips, which were harder to find.

The pumpkin is in fact a fruit and has been grown in North America for five thousand years. It is from the gourd family which includes cucumbers, gherkins and melons. It has a high water content and is very resilient. A pumpkin will stay fresh for weeks if stored in a cool, dark place. A fridge will make it deteriorate as it is too moist an atmosphere. As long as the skin is smooth with discolouration and it smells fresh, it is good to eat.

Orange-fleshed pumpkins contain high levels of carotenoids, which studies suggest may help to prevent certain types of cancer-including cancer of the colon-as well as heart disease. Pumpkins are also rich in antioxidant Vitamin C, which is needed for efficient immune system function. This will help fight colds and improve general overall resistance to disease. In addition, pumpkins contain fibre, which will help lower cholesterol. Fibre will also improve digestion by encouraging the elimination of waste.

Gillian McKeith I think quadrupled sales of pumpkin seeds across Ireland and the UK when she started promoting it as an aid to male virility. Pumpkin seeds are very rich in zinc and iron which will have a beneficial effect on both male and female libido. They also contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids which promote healthy skin, digestion and heart health. Along with the essential fatty acids, B vitamins in pumpkin seeds offset stress and support brain and nervous system health. Pumpkin seeds are also great for the immune system, a good source of protein and help regulate blood sugar levels.

If you can find little pumpkins, slice in half and scoop out the seeds. Fill with your choice of filling, wrap in foil and bake in the oven at 180°C till just tender. Children in particular love this as it looks so cute. My favourite fillings are wilted spinach and feta cheese, sauteed leeks or sweetcorn and cheese sauce. There is always of course pumpkin soup, but do spice it up with cinnamon or cumin. Pumpkin seeds are great toasted and sprinkled over salads, porridge or muesli. Toast with a little soy sauce for a savoury snack.

Have fun with pumpkins in and out of the kitchen this Halloween with some of my favourite pumpkin recipes.

Ingredients:
1tbls butter
½ head of sweetheart cabbage, finely chopped
2tbls strong tea
Salt and pepper
2tbls butter
1 tub Glenisk Crème Fraiche
6 large rooster potatoes, peeled and cubed
Salt and pepper

Method:
1.Steam the potatoes for 15 minutes until just tender. Allow to drain for a few minutes in a colander but don’t allow to get cool.
2.Melt a tablespoon of butter in a large pan. Add the shredded cabbage and wilt down slightly. Pour in the tea, season well and cook for 6-8 minutes until the cabbage is cooked to your liking.
3.Melt two tablespoons of butter in a large pot. Add the crème fraiche, season and heat until bubbling.
4.Add the steamed potatoes to the hot butter and crème fraiche and mash until smooth and lump free.
5.Mix the cooked cabbage through the mashed potato, check for seasoning and serve piping hot.

Method:
1 Line a tart tin with the sheet of shortcrust pastry, mould into the fluted edges and trim off any excess pastry. Bake in the oven at 180°C for 10 minutes until light golden.
2.Steam the pumpkin until just tender. Allow to drain and cool down.
3.Mix the pumkin, sugar, egg, salt, spices and cream together until it forms a smooth pureé.
4.Pour the pumpkin filling into the pastry case and bake for 30 minutes at 180°C until just set.
5.Serve with whipped cream and orange zest.

Method:
1.Soak the dried fruit in the orange juice and zest. If the fruit is very dry, you can cover the bowl in clingfilm and heat for 2 minutes in the microwave. Alternatively, heat in a small pot on the hob.
2.Cream together the butter, sugar and spices.
3.Add the vanilla essence and one egg at a time, beating vigorously in between.
4.Sift in the flour and bread soda, folding in.
5.Fold in the orange and soaked fruit and grated pumpkin.
6.Grease a 20 x 20 cm square cake tin and pour in the mixture.
7.Bake for 45 at 180°C for minutes. Cover with foil and bake for a further 30 to 45 minutes. Insert a skewer to see if it’s baked through. Pumpkin is very moist so it may take a little longer.
8.Allow to cool on a wire rack for 2 hours before icing.
9.Mix all the icing ingredients, except the nuts. Beat well until it’s lump free.
10.Spread over the citrus icing and sprinkle with nuts and orange zest.

Method:
1.Steam the pumpkin until tender. Leave to drain well and cool down. The more moisture that evaporates from the pumpkin, the less flour you will need and the lighter the pumpkin fritters will be. Mash well till lump free.
2.Mix together the mashed pumpkin, egg, flour, salt and baking powder. The mixture will be quite runny.
3.Heat a little oil in a non stick frying pan, drop spoonfuls of batter onto the pan. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain of kitchen paper.
4.Mix the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the pumpkin fritters.
5.Serve warm with lemon wedges, which bring out the flavour.

Method:
1.Preheat the oven to 220°C.
2.Mix the squash, olive oil, salt and pepper and caraway seeds in a large roasting tin.
3.Add the sausages and roast for 20 minutes until the sausages are browned and the squash is softened and starting to crisp. Turn half way to make sure the sausages are evening browned.
4.Stir in the gravy and return to the oven for a few minutes until the gravy starts to bubble.