Yummies for Your Pancakes

Crepe Suzette

• 150ml/5fl oz orange juice (from 3-4 medium oranges)
• 1 medium orange grated zest only
• 1 small grated lemon rind and juice
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 3 tbsp Grand Marnier
• 50g/2oz unsalted butter
• a little extra Grand Marnier, for flaming

For the sauce, mix all the ingredients - with the exception of the butter - in a bowl. Now melt the butter gently in the frying pan, pour in the orange juice mixture and allow it to heat very gently. Now place the first crepe in the pan and give it time to warm through before folding it in half and then in half again to make a triangular shape, give it a  minute or so for it to take on he flavour of the sauce.

You can flame them at this point f you like , by pouring a little extra liqueur into the pan and gently tilting towards the flame, be very careful at this point as not to burn yourself or to spill any of the sauce onto the flame. Once the flame has died out, serve immediately on warmed plates.

Pancakes with Walnut Cream/Butterscotch Sauce

• 200g light muscovado sugar
• 160g unsalted butter, diced
• 800ml double cream
• 3tbsp sifted icing sugar
• 2tbsp brandy
• 2tbsp coffee essence or vanilla essence
• 6 tbsp chopped walnuts

Butterscotch Sauce

Put the sugar, butter and 250ml of the cream in a pan over low heat.

Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat slightly, cook for 3/4 minutes without stirring, set aside but keep warm.

Filling

Whip the remaining cream and fold in the icing sugar/brandy/essence and 3 tbsp of the walnuts.
Take a pancake and spread a quarter with a dessert spoon of the cream mixture, fold in half and in half again to enclose the filling.
Sprinkle with the remaining walnuts and drizzle with the warm butterscotch sauce.

Traditional

• caster sugar
• lemon juice
• lemon wedge
• melted butter

To serve, sprinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice, caster sugar and melted butter. Fold in half, then in half again to form triangles, or else simply roll them up. Serve sprinkled with a little more sugar and lemon juice and extra sections of lemon.

Chocolate Sauce

• 55g/2oz caster sugar
• splash of hot water
• 30g/11/4oz cocoa powder

For the sauce, whisk the sugar, water and cocoa together in a small pan over a gentle heat. Add extra water depending on how thick you require the sauce.

To serve, transfer the pancakes to a serving plate and drizzle the chocolate sauce over.

Banoffee Pancakes

• 4 normal bananas
• 25g/2tbsp hazelnut chocolate sauce
• 90g/6tbsp banoffee toffee sauce
• vanilla ice cream to serve

Place the pancakes in foil in a preheated oven to warm the pancakes.

Warm the banoffee sauce in a small pan. Slice the bananas lengthways and add to the pan. Heat until the sauce is bubbling around the hot bananas.

Remove the pancakes and spread a layer of chocolate spread onto them, place four pieces of banana and some banoffee sauce on each pancake. Roll up the pancakes and place on a warm plate.

Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream on to each plate and serve.

Last Minute ideas to Brighten Up your Pancakes

• cinnamon sugar (caster sugar mixed with ground cinnamon)
• Vanilla Butter (unsalted butter mixed with vanilla essence)
• Maple Syrup
• A selection of your favourite fruits and vegetables
• Your favourite chocolate bar, slightly melted and used as a filling