Cherry Pancakes

When I was a child the highlight for me when we were driving long distances to relatives was the lunchtime stop at Little Chef. I nearly always ate battered fish fingers (the only fish I would eat as a child), Jubilee pancakes and of course the free orange sherbet lolly. Looking back there was probably minimal cherries in the pancake, but it still tasted good!

As I'm on holiday I decided I should make more of an effort with breakfasts. A nice change from weetabix and banana. The great thing about Scotch pancakes is that you can alter the topping you sprinkle on top. As I have some cherries left over and I didn't want to waste them I used them on the pancakes...although the cherries look suspiciously like slices of salami in the photo!

Cherry Pancakes
Makes about 10

135g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp caster sugar
130ml milk
1 large egg
2 tbsp melted butter (allow to cool slightly)
zest of one lemon
150g cherries, stoned and halved

1) Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into a large bowl. In separate bowl lightly whisk milk and egg together, then add melted butter.

2) Pour milk into flour and mix using a fork until you have a smooth batter. Put in the fridge for at least an hour (I sometimes do this overnight)

3)Heat pan till medium/hot. If not using a non-stick pan melt a small amount of unsalted butter in the pan. Use a dessert spoon to blob some of the mixture in the pan. Sprinkle some of the cherries over the batter surface. Wait until you see bubbles appear on the surface. Flip over. Cook until golden brown and risen to about 1 cm.

Granola

I love my breakfasts, especially granola, but I often find the shop brought versions too sweet and expensive so I decided to make my own as inspired by a recipe in this months GFM. Ok, it's not the lowest in calorie cereal, but it's jam packed with good stuff and certainly keeps me filled up till lunch.

It is meant to have dried apricots in it, but when I got the packet out of the cupboard I noticed they were past their sell by date and had begun to ferment! The recipe is really flexible and you can literally put what ever you want in it. This time I've put in mixed fruit and dates. Next time I may try dried cranberries.

Granola
Makes about 1kg and will fill a 4 litre container.

125ml/4fl oz sunflower oil
100ml/3.5 fl oz malt extract (The only place I can get this is Julien Graves)
100ml/3.5 fl oz clear honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
500g/18oz jumbo oats
25g/1oz desiccated coconut
100g/4oz Pumpkin, sunflower, sesame seed mix (you can buy this mix in Morrisons)
150g/6oz dried fruit (use what ever you want)

1) Preheat oven to 170oc (fan). Heat oil, honey, vanilla extract and malt extract in a large pan until malt extract has turned runny and combined with the oil, honey and vanilla. Take off the heat and add all the ingredients apart from the dried fruit. Stir until evenly covered.

2) Tip mix into the largest baking tin you can find. Spread out in an even layer and bake for around 25 min. Stir occasionally until the mix is golden. Leave to cool then separate the mix into chunks and stir in the fruit. Store in an airtight container for up to a month.

Even hubby love this, though rather than eating it like a cereal he has just been eating handfuls of it! This was the first time I've baked in our new oven and it did catch me out as it is far more efficient than our old cooker!

Scotch Pancakes

I'm only 4 days into the 6 week summer holiday and already bored. I'm wanting to cook all the time, which isn't good for my waistline! This morning I had a craving for Scotch Pancakes. I love these, especially when drizzled with a bit of golden syrup and they remind me of my childhood. These work best if the mixture is allowed to rest for atleast an hour (overnight is good). Give the batter a quick stir before you use it.

Scotch Pancakes
Makes about 10

135g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp caster sugar
130ml milk
1 large egg
2 tbsp melted butter (allow to cool slightly)
a good handful of sultanas/rasins
zest of one lemon

1) Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into a large bowl. In seperate bowl lightly whisk milk and egg together, then add melted butter.

2) Pour milk into flour and mix using a fork until you have a smooth batter. Stir in the sultanas and lemon zest. Put in the fridge for atleast an hour.

3)Heat pan till medium/hot. If not using a non-stick pan melt a small amount of unsalted butter in the pan. Use a dessert spoon to blob some of the mixture in the pan. Wait until you see bubbles appear on the surface. Flip over. Cook until golden brown and risen to about 1 cm.

After my recent obsession with meringues I found these "Forgotten Cookies" on the GFM website and am going to give them a go sometime soon.