Breakfast

Ricotta Hotcakes with Honeycomb Butter by Bill Granger

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

PancakeBillGranger09

Everyone probably knows by now that I love pancakes.

PancakeBillGranger08

Many people have recommended I go and try Bill Granger’s pancakes/hotcakes at his restaurant (please disregard my use of the word pancake – it seems more natural for me to say pancake then hotcake). Bill’s pancakes are described as gorgeous fluffy soft ricotta pancakes with a beautiful honeycomb butter served with banana. I have been to Bill’s previously, although didn’t have enough room to fit in the pancakes after my meal. I’ll make sure I go back soon to try the pancakes.

PancakeBillGranger10

In the meantime, I decided to make some at home – good decision. These are absolutely wonderful pancakes, and the combination with the honeycomb butter and banana makes them one of the best ways to start the weekend. I’ve made them a number of times already, and continue to go back to the recipe.

PancakeBillGranger01

Ricotta Hotcakes with Honeycomb Butter by Bill Granger

Recipe from Bill Granger found on AWW Ninemsn

Serving size: Serves 6

1 1/3 cups (225g) ricotta
3/4 cup (170ml) milk
4 eggs, separated
1 cup (140g) plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
50g butter

banana
honeycomb butter, sliced (below)
icing sugar for dusting

Honeycomb Butter (You will need less than half of this)
250g unsalted butter, softened
100g sugar honeycomb, crushed with a rolling pin (I used a couple violet crumbles, chopped finely, which worked very well as you get bits of chocolate in the butter)
2 Tablespoons honey

Place ricotta, milk and egg yolks in a mixing bowl and mix to combine. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add to the ricotta mixture and mix until just combined.

PancakeBillGranger03

Place egg whites in a clean dry bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites through batter in two batches, with a large metal spoon.

PancakeBillGranger04

PancakeBillGranger05

Lightly grease a large non-stick frying pan with a small portion of butter and drop 2 tablespoons of batter per hotcake into the pan (don’t cook more than 3 per batch).

PancakeBillGranger06

Cook over a low to medium heat for 2 minutes, or until hotcakes have golden undersides. Turn hotcakes and cook on the other side until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and quickly assemble the other ingredients.

PancakeBillGranger07

Slice one banana lengthways onto a plate, stack three hotcakes on top with a slice of honeycomb butter. Dust with icing sugar.

Honeycomb butter
Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Shape into a log on plastic wrap, roll, seal and chill in a refrigerator for 2 hours.
Store any leftover honeycomb butter in the freezer, it’s great on toast.

PancakeBillGranger02

Posted in Breakfast, Dessert, Recipes | 11 Comments »

Almond and Vanilla Porridge

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

almondvanillaporridge01

We all know “someone”, who can’t go past a freebee. Who goes around and around to people handing around free samples just so they can collect as much as possible…

Well I know a couple of those people, and I can certainly relate to it, especially when I see something that looks particularly appealing. And let’s face it – it’s the best sort of bargain out there – you get something for nothing!

almondvanillaporridge02

Even though I’ve never liked porridge that people have made (I’ve found they tend to be a bit plain, and since I don’t like dried fruit, it doesn’t even add an extra element that would entice me), I picked up a few samples of porridge in new flavours or a different brand being handed out. One had dried fruit, the other Vanilla and Almond Porridge. Well, the later actually sounds nice, so after trying it, I realised I would have it again. But samples don’t last long… they’re samples. And not finding them in the shops meant I would try and make it myself (and it’s likely to be both cheaper and healthier – as you know exactly what goes into it).

So, one trial for the recipe and I was pretty happy with the result (even more so than the original product, after being given another sample and doing a taste-test comparison)! This is great for our cold weather (and unfortunately weather that is going to get colder and rainier).

almondvanillaporridge06

Almond and Vanilla Porridge

Serves: 1 small serving, feel free to double the quantity

1/3 cup rolled oats, blitzed in a food processor until chopped slightly (or Quick Oats)
1 tablespoon blitzed roasted almonds
1 teaspoon caster sugar
A sprinkle of ground cinnamon
2/3 cup milk (approximately)
1/8 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the vanilla with the milk and pour into bowl. Mix together and microwave on high for 1 minute (Be careful, this will be hot). Stir mixture and cook on high for another 30sec – 1min, until as thick as you like. Add more milk depending on the consistency and temperature you like your porridge.

almondvanillaporridge03

almondvanillaporridge05

almondvanillaporridge07

Posted in Breakfast, Budget Meals, Healthy Eating, Recipes, Vegetarian | 8 Comments »

The Best Ever Pancake Recipe

Friday, June 19th, 2009

Do you have many kitchen bowls or dishes that have a heap of writing on them? A recipe perhaps? Well, I have one (and certainly saw a few more in the range when I bought this one). It’s a pancake mixing bowl – with a recipe for The Best-Ever Pancakes!

pancakesbest04

Very cool!

Although I find it hard to say that these are the “Best-Ever!”, they are certainly close. These pancakes are easy to make, lovely flavours and nice and fluffy and fantastic with maple syrup. I have made it a few times and been happy – and the recipe is always easy to find! ;)

pancakesbest01

The Best Ever Pancake Recipe
Recipe from PRIMO pancake bowl

2 cups plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
2 eggs, beaten
1½ cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
75g butter, melted
extra butter for frying

Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Whisk in beaten eggs, milk, sugar and butter. Sizzle some extra butter in a non-stick frying pan and pour in batter to desired size. Flip when bubbles appear and cook until golden. Enjoy with lemon juice and castor sugar! (or maple syrup)

pancakesbest05

pancakesbest06

Posted in Breakfast, Dessert, Recipes, Vegetarian | 6 Comments »

Pancakes – Nigella Lawson

Saturday, May 2nd, 2009

pancakesnigella11

I’m on my way to find fluffy, thick, tasty pancakes. I do admit I enjoy the macadamia pancakes from Pancakes on the Rocks (my favourite choice of their sweet pancakes – which I actually haven’t had in a very long while).

So whilst looking through Nigella Lawson’s How to be a Domestic Goddess I found her recipe for American breakfast pancakes, which looked nice and fluffy and so I decided to make them. As I love pancakes so much, I’m going to end up going through so many recipes to find the right one, that it’s likely I’ll forget what half of them tasted like.

pancakesnigella12

These pancakes were quite nice and fluffy, although they seemed to be missing something or a slightly odd flavour. I’m not entirely sure what exactly that is, whether it be not enough sugar or salt or missing vanilla or maybe too much baking powder?… not sure. I guess I’ll have to try them again – I’m not complaining :)

American Breakfast Pancakes
Recipe from How to be a Domestic Goddess and also on Nigella’s website.

225g plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
30g butter, melted and cooled
300ml milk
butter for frying
Serving Size : 11 blini-pan-sized pancakes

The easiest way to make these is to put all the ingredients into a blender and blitz. But if you do mix up the batter by hand in a bowl, make a well in the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, beat in the eggs, melted butter and milk, and transfer to a jug: it’s much easier to pour the batter into the pan than to spoon it. I like to leave the batter for 20 minutes before using it; and you may then want to add more milk to the mixture if you’re frying in the blini pan, so that it runs right to the edges.

pancakesnigella08

When you cook the pancakes, all you need to remember is that when the upper side of the pancake is blistering and bubbling it’s time to cook the second side, and this needs only about 1 minute, if that.

I get 11 blini-pan-sized pancakes out of this, maybe 16 silver-dollar-sized ones on the griddle.

pancakesnigella01

pancakesnigella10

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Posted in Breakfast, Cakes, Slices and Biscuits, Recipes, Vegetarian | 7 Comments »