With the days are getting shorter and colder, it is time for comfort food. A big bowl of ramen maybe, I shared a great creamy chicken ramen recipe in this column several months back, you will find that on ieFood, or how about some beautiful fluffy buttermilk pancakes for brunch this weekend?
These pancakes are like a hug on a plate. A stack of these with some blueberry compote, maple syrup crème fraiche and some toasted flaked almonds scattered over the top will bring a smile to your face and joy to your heart. Have some crispy streaky bacon on the side as well if you fancy it. That is always a good idea, the perfect combination of sweet, savoury, and salty, perfect for your weekend family feast.
The key to making light and fluffy buttermilk pancakes is to fold well-whisked egg whites into the batter just before you make your pancakes. This will give your pancakes a lovely rise and a beautiful light and airy texture. If you cannot get hold of any mascarpone cheese, you can use ricotta instead. That will also be delicious, but mascarpone is a bit creamier than ricotta and works beautifully in this recipe.
Mascarpone and lemon pancakes with blueberry compote
recipe by:Colm O’Gorman
The key to making light and fluffy buttermilk pancakes is to fold well-whisked egg whites into the batter just before you make your pancakes
Ingredients
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350g plain flour
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2 tsp caster sugar
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1 tsp baking powder
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½ tsp grated nutmeg
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4 eggs
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375ml buttermilk
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1tsp vanilla extract
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2 lemons
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250g mascarpone cheese
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A little butter to cook the pancakes
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250g fresh blueberries
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50g caster sugar
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To serve:
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Crème fraiche
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Maple syrup
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Some toasted flaked almonds
Method
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Combine the flour, two teaspoons of caster sugar, baking powder and grated nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Separate the eggs. Lightly beat the egg yolks and add the buttermilk, mascarpone, vanilla, and the zest of both lemons. Whisk to combine everything well. You can do this by hand. Do not use an electric whisk or mixer as you just want to combine everything, not whip it.
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In a separate bowl, this time using an electric whisk or food mixer, whisk the egg whites until they are fluffy and form stiff peaks. Now combine the dry ingredients and your buttermilk mixture. Stir it well to ensure you remove any lumps and have a smooth batter.
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Time now to fold in your egg whites. This is how you will incorporate all the air in the egg whites into the batter and make it really light and airy. Use a flexible spatula with a wide base to add one-third of your whisked egg whites to the batter, just place it in on top of the batter. Do this in a big mixing bowl, you need a bit of room to do it properly. Get the spatula in under the batter and scoop some up, folding it in over the egg whites. Repeat this until the egg whites are well combined, using slow folding motions. Take your time and do not stir the batter or you will knock the air out of the egg whites. Once the first third of egg white is folded in, repeat twice more with the second and final third. A little patience is required, but this will only take five minutes or so overall and doing it properly makes the world of difference.
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Now, to make the blueberry compote. Wash the blueberries and pop most of them into a small saucepan. Keep about fifty grams of them to one side for now. Add the sugar and the juice of one of the lemons to the pan. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let that cook for about ten minutes until the blueberries break down a little and you begin to get a nice syrupy texture. I like to keep some shape to the fruit for this compote, so do not over stir it or crush
