Grana Padano pancakes

From vegan and gluten free to Instagram-worthy soufflé pancakes, try out these unusual pancake recipes this Pancake Day…

Pancake Day falls on Tuesday 1 March in 2022. If you want to switch things up from the usual lemon and sugar topping or basic batter recipe, try out one of these alternative recipes below.

From towering treats to something for coeliacs, these five unique recipes are sure to help you do something a little different this Shrove Tuesday.

Gluten-free hoisin duck pancakes

Chinese New Year may have been and gone, but we’re happy to continue celebrating right into Shrove Tuesday. Pay homage to the oriental occasion with this Friday fakeaway.

A Hemsley family favourite, switch out duck for cauliflower or aubergine to make a veggie-friendly version.

Image: Issy Croker (Extracted from Eat Happy by Melissa Hemsley (Ebury Press, £20)

Ingredients

For the duck:

• 4 duck breasts (skin on; total 600g)
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• A good pinch of sea salt

For the hoisin sauce:

• 6 tbsp tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
•  3 tbsp tahini or smooth nut/seed butter
• 1.5 tbsp maple syrup
• 3 tbsp orange juice (or 2 tbsp lemon juice)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1.5 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1.5 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

For the pancakes:

• 250g chickpea flour
•  350ml warm water
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 1.5 tbsp coconut oil or ghee

To serve

• Chilli flakes, to taste
•  1 cucumber, sliced into matchsticks
•  6 spring onions, sliced into matchsticks

Method

1.  Preheat the oven to fan 200°C/ Gas mark 7. With a sharp knife, score the fat of each duck breast in a criss-cross pattern, then sprinkle over half the five-spice powder and salt and rub in.
2. Make the hoisin sauce by whisking all the ingredients together in a bowl, then taste for seasoning and set aside.
3. Heat up a wide, ovenproof frying pan to a high heat (no oil needed) and place the duck breasts, skin side down in the pan. Sprinkle over the rest of the spice and salt. Cook for 3 minutes or until most of the fat has rendered, and the duck skin is golden.
4. Turn the duck breasts over and cook for a further 30 seconds to seal the other side. Place the pan in the oven for the duck to finish cooking – 8 minutes for rare or 10 minutes for medium rare – then remove the duck and leave to rest on a chopping board for 10 minutes. Use this time to make the chickpea batter.
5. To make the chickpea batter, blend together the chickpea flour, water and salt and pepper. Melt 1 tsp of the oil or ghee in a medium-sized frying pan over a high heat. Add 3 tbsps of the batter to the frying pan, swirling it around to cover the base and cook for 1 ½ minutes, then flip over and cook on the other side for another 30 seconds. Tip the wrap onto a plate, making sure you remove any excess bits from the pan or they’ll burn when you cook the next wrap, and repeat – adding a little more of the oil each time- until you have used all the batter.

To serve, cut the duck breasts into thin slices, sprinkle with chilli flakes and place on a serving place with the hoisin sauce in a bowl. Put the pancakes on another plate and place the sliced cucumber and spring onions in a separate bowl. Let everyone assemble their own pancakes, pouring or spooning the hoisin sauce over the duck before adding the other ingredients.

Fluffy Japanese pancakes with Baileys Original Irish Cream crème pâtissière, honeycomb & chocolate sauce

Not just for Christmas, this recipe uses Baileys and whisked egg whites for a fluffy, thick and indulgent finish.

Image: Baileys

• Serves 3

Ingredients

For the crème patisserie:

•  1 egg
•  10g sugar
•  Pinch of salt
•  160ml whole milk
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 50ml Baileys Original Irish Cream
• 150ml double cream

For the pancakes:

•  2 egg yolks
•  4 egg whites
•  2 tsp vanilla extract
•  1 tbsp caster sugar plus 50g
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 60g ’00’ or cake flour
• 65ml milk
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

To serve:

• Honeycomb, broken into bite-sized pieces
• Chocolate sauce

Method

For the crème patisserie

1. In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients, except the butter and double cream and whisk to combine well.
2. Place over a medium heat and continue to whisk for about 5 – 7 minutes until the mixture thickens considerably.
3. Once thickened, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter then pour into a bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to cool.
4. When completely cool, whisk the cream in a bowl until soft peaks start to form then fold the cream into the Baileys Original Irish Cream custard. Set aside.

For the pancakes

1. Place the egg yolks, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon caster sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Sieve over the baking powder and flour and mix to combine thoroughly then add the milk and whisk into the batter. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, add the egg whites, cream of tartar, lemon juice and salt and with a hand whisk or in the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Once the egg whites have reached stiff peaks, add the 50 grams of caster sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have a thick, glossy meringue.
4. Fold ⅓ of the meringue into the batter, working gently to retain as much air as possible then add the rest of the meringue and fold to combine everything.
5. Place a pan over a low heat and grease 3 crumpet rings very well with the oil. Spoon the batter into the rings until it comes about ½ way up the side of the ring then leave to cook for about 3 – 4 minutes or until the pancake has risen to the top of the ring. If you don’t have 3 crumpet rings, or your pan won’t fit 3 rings, then just cook as many as you can at a time – the pancakes can be placed in a very low oven until you’re ready to serve.
6. When the pancakes are cooked on one side, flip then over and cook for a further 2 – 3 minutes on the other side.
7. Remove the rings and repeat with the rest of the batter.

To assemble

1. To serve, place a pancake on a plate, top with some of the Baileys Original Irish Cream Crème Pâtissière then place another pancake on top and repeat until you have a stack of three pancakes.
2. Place some Crème Pâtissière on the top then add some crumbled-up honeycomb and drizzle with the chocolate sauce.

Courgette and Grana Padano pancakes with tomato and apple relish

These savoury courgette pancakes created by Great British Chef Adam Grey in collaboration with Grana Padano PDO are great for a quick wholesome starter before your sweet pancake!

Image: Grana Padano

• Serves 4
• Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients

For the pancakes

• 1 courgette
• 40g of Grana Padano, finely grated, plus extra shavings to garnish
• 50g of plain flour
• 2g of smoked paprika
• 2 eggs, beaten
• sea salt
• white pepper
• 2 tbsp of rapeseed oil, for frying

For the relish

• 100ml of olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 100ml of water
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 0.5cm dice
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 plum tomatoes, roughly cut into 0.5cm dice
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1.2l white wine vinegar
• 7 tbsp of clear honey

Method

1. Begin by making the tomato and apple relish. Place a thick-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat and pour in the olive oil. Add the onion, chilli and garlic and cook for a few minutes until softened but without colour.
2. Add the fennel seeds, mixed spice and bay leaf, then continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Add the tomatoes, apples, white wine vinegar, honey and water, bring to a simmer then leave to cook for 45 minutes, stirring regularly until thickened.
3. Meanwhile, get started on the pancakes. Mix the grated courgette and Grana Padano in a large bowl, then add the flour and paprika. Stir until combined, then add the beaten eggs until fully incorporated. Season with salt and white pepper, then cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 15–20 minutes.
4. Once the relish has reduced and thickened, add the lemon juice until you’re happy with the taste, season and set aside to cool.
5. To cook the pancakes, preheat an oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Place a small ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat and add a little rapeseed oil. Once hot, place 2 large tablespoons of the courgette mixture in the pan (you can use a metal chef ring to give the pancakes a neater shape, as in the image above, but they will also work when simply placed in the pan). If you can fit more than one pancake in the pan then do so, otherwise you will need to work in batches. Immediately transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 3 minutes.
6. The pancake mixture will start to rise as it cooks. After 3 minutes carefully flip the pancakes over and cook in the oven for a further minute. Once cooked, remove from the pan and place on a plate.
7.  To serve, top the pancakes with a dollop of the cooled relish and some final shavings of Grana Padano.

Coffee and amaretto mini pancake stack

If you’re missing out on your usual coffee shop cake or friday night tipple during lockdown, these miniature mouthfuls are the perfect treat.

Image: British Egg recipes

• Serves 4
• Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the pancakes

• 140g plain flour
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 2 medium British Lion eggs
•  125ml milk
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil

For the filling

• 3 tbsp amaretto
• 2 tsp instant coffee, plus extra to serve
• 3 tbsp icing sugar
• 250g mascarpone
• 300g raspberries

Method

1. In a large jug, gently whisk together all pancake ingredients until smooth. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
2. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and brush with oil. Pour in heaped tablespoons of pancake batter spacing a few centimetres apart. Repeat to fit 3-4 in the pan. Cook for about a minute until bubbles appear on the surface, flip or turn and cook for a further 30 seconds. Repeat with remaining mixture to make about 20 pancakes in total.
3. In a large bowl mix coffee, amaretto and icing sugar. Add the mascarpone and whisk until thick.
4. Spread a heaped teaspoonful of the coffee mixture onto each pancake, and layer to create a small stack, adding a handful of raspberries to two layers in each stack.
5. Dust with a little coffee and serve.

Vegan pancakes with apricot conserve

These vegan pancakes with apricot jam and dairy-free Greek style vanilla yoghurt are packed full of flavour and crunch. Truly mouth watering, they bring a burst of vibrant colour to your kitchen as well as the warming, enticing smell of toasted nuts and cinnamon.

Image: Bonne Maman

• Cooking time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

For the crepes

• 150g plain flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp caster sugar, optional
• 250ml oat milk
• 1 tbsp melted sunflower spread or coconut oil, plus extra for the pan
• splash of vegan beer, about 2 tbsp

For the filling

• 60-100g mixed nuts and seeds such as hazelnuts, almonds, sesame, sunflower and pumpkin
• pinch of ground cinnamon or mixed spice
• 1 tbsp caster sugar, optional
• 400g tub Greek-style, vanilla non-dairy yoghurt
• 335g jar Bonne Maman Intense Apricot

Method

1. Spread the nuts and seeds for the filling on a foil-covered baking sheet and sprinkle over the cinnamon. Toast in a hot oven or under the grill until golden brown. This will only take a minute so keep an eye on them. Set aside.
2. To make the crêpes, sift the flour into a large mixing bowl with a good pinch of salt and the sugar, if using. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking gently as you go, then whisk in the melted spread or oil. Set the batter aside for about half an hour if time allows, then finally whisk in the beer.
3. Heat an 18-20cm crêpe pan and wipe over the base lightly with butter or oil. Stir the batter – it should be the thickness of single cream – and pour a small ladle of batter into the pan. Working quickly, tilt the pan so that the batter runs all over the surface then hold the pan over the bowl of batter and let the excess tip out. Trim the lip of cooked batter away from the edge and return the pan to the heat. The base should be covered in batter but not quite thin enough to see through.
4. Let the crêpe cook for a minute or so until the underside is golden and comes easily away from the pan. Lift one edge up with a palette knife and carefully flip it over. Cook for a further 1-2 minutes. The flipped side will only cook in spotted brown patches, not as evenly as the first side. Tip the crêpe carefully on to a plate. Wipe the pan with a little more oil and continue until you have used up all the batter. Keep the crêpes warm, covered with foil in a low oven.
5. When ready to serve, spread the warm crêpes generously with the vanilla yoghurt, add a few large spoonful of Intense Apricot and finally sprinkle with the toasted nuts and seeds. Enjoy!

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