Raspberry Risen Pancakes - Weekend Breakfast



I mentioned these beauties in my hangover cure post but wanted to single them out because they are so damn good and they are fool proof. The original recipe comes from Spooning with Rosie by Rosie Lovell. You could use any fruit you like -fresh or make a compote - apple and cinnamon, pear and ginger, plum and honey...For these I used a packet of frozen raspberries -let's face it fresh raspberries cost a small fortune and that's when they are in season, blackberries are another one but I won't start on them...! I also used some raspberry coulis left over from the last Supper Club -which all in all made for a very delicious juicy affair. If you are trying to impress someone with a weekend breakfast or brunch I would definitely suggest these -you could precede them with my Baked Eggs with Chorizo & Cavolo Nero...if you really, really wanna impress. 

What you need;            For 2 (if you are super hungry double the recipe)

  • Raspberries 2 large cups of fresh or frozen
  • Eggs X 1 whisked
  • Self raising flour - 130g
  • 150ml of milk
  • 65g caster sugar
  • Some clotted cream or plain natural yoghurt
What you need to do;
  • Sieve the flour into a bowl
  • Make a well and add the egg plus milk -whisk together if you get lumps use a hand blender to remove
  • Add 50g caster sugar -put into a jug and set aside for an hour
  • If using frozen berries pop into a pan and defrost gently over a low heat -try not to stir it too much so that you don't break up the raspberries completely 
  • Add the remaining 15g caster -taste and adjust if still too tart (you could also use a spoonful of honey instead of the caster to sweeten)
  • When you're ready put a non stick pan on a medium heat, put in a small knob of butter or a drizzle of peanut, rapeseed or sunflower oil
  • When hot pour on some of the batter (as big as you would like your pancakes -this amount should make 8-10 small ones) if using fresh fruit drop it onto the pancakes when they have had about a minute on side one -flip over when golden
  • To serve -blob on some yoghurt or cream and a spoonfull of juicy raspberries.

Baked Eggs with Cavolo Nero & Chorizo and Fresh Bread Stick Soldiers


I was far from a fussy eater as a child but I despised eggs, well not the whole egg, I loved the gooey yellow part -but the white part...urrgh! Something about the texture ...and the smell of hard boiled eggs being peeled just put me right off from a young age. My little sister Emma was the opposite, she despised the yellow, so when we had boiled eggs on toast for dinner I would delve in and extract the yolk and pass the remainder on to her -sibling symbiosis! I think the turnaround was a few years ago when I was really sick and nothing would stay inside me, eventually I started to recover my appetite and mum made me scrambled eggs - I wolfed them down and I started to let go of my racism against the whites.



Sunday brunch has to be one of the most enjoyable meals of the week -it's a relaxed affair during which a crossword puzzle might be 're-reviewed' or a break is taken from some outdoor activity or it's simply brunch because you had a lie in and the clock says it's too late to call it breakfast. I had brought some beautiful earthy, smokey chorizo from Dublin and in my dads garden were long, dark stalks of cavolo nero begging to be pan fried with some butter...So I decided the brunch marriage had to be with a third member...the humble egg. Alas there wasn't any 'real' bread in the house so I knocked up some fresh bread sticks using Lorraine Pascales super easy recipe. And I mean it when I say 'knocked up' because this has to be the fastest yeasted recipe I've ever used....read on!




What you need;

for the bread-                makes 12
  • 450g strong white flour/ 'oo' flour
  • 1&1/2 tsp of salt
  • 250-275 mls tepid water
  • 7g fast action yeast
  • Olive oil for brushing
  • Cracked black pepper, sea salt, poppy seeds -whatever takes your fancy for sprinkling



for the baked eggs-          serves 4
  • 4 eggs
  • 300ml cream
  • 8-10 long leaves of cavolo nero or regular kale
  • A knob of butter
  • A good hunk of chorizo
  • Pepper & salt
What you need to do;

bread-
  • Start by putting your flour and salt in a large bowl
  • Lorraine says to add the yeast to the flour followed by the water -I prefer to add the yeast to the water with a bit of sugar and allow to activate -just in case the yeast is a bit off at least you'll know
  • Mix together the flour, water and yeast and kneed for 10 mins or until the dough is springy



  • Divide into 12 pieces and roll into fat lengths -twist some if you like by splitting the piece into two longer lengths and twisting together

  • Cover with oiled cling film and allow to rest and grow for 25-30 mins in a warm place
  • When almost ready turn oven on to 200'C / Gas 6
  • Brush the dough with olive oil and sprinkle on pepper & salt, poppy seeds, sesame etc...

  • Bake for 15-20 mins or until browned -for some reason I have problems getting things to brown in my own oven so I pop them under a hot grill for 2/3 mins afterwards
  • Cool on a wire wrack


eggs-
  • Set oven to 180'C / Gas 4
  • Put a frying pan a medium high heat
  • Chop your chorizo into small pieces -fry on the pan until crispy
  • Put another frying pan on a medium heat

  • Slice the kale from its central stalk and chop roughly
  • Wilt down on a pan with butter and some olive oil, after a few mins add a splash water to aid the process
  • Drain the chorizo on kitchen paper to remove excess oil
  • Add crispy chorizo to the kale, season with pepper
  • Add 300mls of cream, allow to bubble for a minute or two
  • Divide into 4 ramekins, crack an egg into the center of each
  • Grate some Parmesan cheese or another hard cheese over the egg


  • Pop into the oven for 8-12 mins depending on how well done you like your eggs
  • Serve with your bread sticks or a nice thick slice of toast