Waffley good
Yes, January is all about resolutions and abstinence, forswearing fun for the sake of a healthy new start. But surely there’s a limit. It is, after all, a long month, so perhaps we all deserve a little sweet relief to see us through.
Which is where Hannah Miles’s new book comes in. A finalist in 2007’s MasterChef, she has brought together 65 scrumptious treats from the griddle, from simple but saucy crêpes and humble but gooey French toast to crispy, indulgent waffles and perfect pancakes. And here are three of them – just don’t forget your toothbrush.
Pancakes, Crêpes, Waffles & French Toast: Irresistible Recipes From The Griddle by Hannah Miles, with photography by Steve Painter, is published by Ryland Peters & Small, priced £16.99.
For the pancakes
For the sauce
Place the flour, baking powder, egg yolk, sugar, salt, milk and buttermilk in a mixing bowl and whisk together to a smooth batter using a whisk. Add the melted butter and whisk in. The batter should have a smooth dropping consistency. Whisk the egg white to stiff peaks using a mixer or whisk. Fold the egg whites into the batter gently, using a spatula.
Place a little butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Place a ladleful of batter into the pan, sprinkle 1 tbsp blueberries over the top of the pancake and cook until the underside of each pancake is golden brown and the top side of the pancake is just cooked and a few bubbles start to appear. This will take about 2-3 mins. Turn the pancake over using a spatula and cook on the other side until golden brown.
Keep the pancakes warm while you cook the remaining batter, adding a little more butter to the pan each time, if needed, and sprinkling each pancake with blueberries.
For the sauce, place the blueberries, lime juice and sugar in a saucepan with the water and simmer over a gentle heat for about 5-10 mins until the fruit is soft and the sauce is syrupy. Serve the pancakes warm with the sauce and whipped cream.
Makes 10
For the roasted hazelnuts
For the crêpes
For the hazelnut chocolate sauce
Roast the hazelnuts spread out in a single layer on the baking tray in a preheated oven at 180C/350F/gas mark 4 for about 10 mins and remove them as soon as they start to turn light golden brown and have just started to release their oil. Watch carefully towards the end of cooking to ensure that they do not burn.
If the nuts have skins on, rub them in a clean tea towel to remove skins while they are still hot. Roughly chop 50g of the nuts. Set aside until you are ready to serve. Blitz the remaining 150g of the nuts into fine crumbs in a food processor or a blender.
For the hazelnut chocolate sauce, place the icing sugar, butter, cream, chocolate and 100g of the finely chopped hazelnut crumbs in a saucepan and simmer over a gentle heat until the chocolate has melted and you have a smooth glossy sauce. Keep warm until you are ready to serve, or cool and reheat before serving.
For the crêpes, sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the egg white and yolk, melted butter, caster sugar and salt. While whisking all the time add the milk gradually, towards the end, until you have a smooth and runny batter. Fold in 50g of the finely chopped hazelnut crumbs. Leave the batter to rest for 30 mins.
Grease a large frying pan or griddle with a little butter and pour a ladleful of the hazelnut batter into the pan and quickly spread the batter out very thinly. Do this either by swirling the pan and tipping it so the batter spreads out thinly, or use a crêpe swizzle stick.
Cook until the batter on top of the crêpe is set, then turn over carefully with a spatula and cook on the other side for a minute or two until the crêpe is golden brown. Keep it warm while you cook the remaining crêpes.
Serve the crêpes straight away with the hot hazelnut chocolate sauce and sprinkle with coarsely chopped hazelnuts.
Makes 8
For the waffles
For the sauce
To serve
You will need
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, caster sugar, salt, egg yolks, milk and melted butter until you have a smooth batter. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and then gently fold into the batter a third at a time.
Preheat the waffle iron and grease with a little butter. Place a ladleful of the batter into the iron and cook the waffle for about 3-5 mins until golden brown. Cook 8 waffles in total, using up all the batter, and keep warm until you are ready to serve.
For the sauce, put the melted butter and sugar in a saucepan and add the cinnamon. Simmer until the mixture becomes syrupy, then remove from the heat and cool for a few minutes. Whisk in the cream. Return to the heat and cook for a few more minutes, whisking all the time. Serve the waffles straight away with scoops of ice cream and hot cinnamon cream sauce poured over.
To buy the book at the offer price of £11.99, call Macmillan Direct on 01256-302699 and quote reference GLR 9MW.
Which is where Hannah Miles’s new book comes in. A finalist in 2007’s MasterChef, she has brought together 65 scrumptious treats from the griddle, from simple but saucy crêpes and humble but gooey French toast to crispy, indulgent waffles and perfect pancakes. And here are three of them – just don’t forget your toothbrush.
Pancakes, Crêpes, Waffles & French Toast: Irresistible Recipes From The Griddle by Hannah Miles, with photography by Steve Painter, is published by Ryland Peters & Small, priced £16.99.
Buttermilk blueberry pancakes with blueberry lime sauce (pictured top)
Makes 6For the pancakes
- 160g self-raising flour, sifted
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg, separated
- 60g caster sugar
- pinch of salt
- 200ml milk
- 80ml buttermilk
- 3 tbsp melted butter, plus extra for frying
- 100g blueberries
For the sauce
- 300g blueberries
- juice of 3 limes
- 100g caster sugar
- 90ml water
- 300ml double cream, whipped to soft peaks
Place the flour, baking powder, egg yolk, sugar, salt, milk and buttermilk in a mixing bowl and whisk together to a smooth batter using a whisk. Add the melted butter and whisk in. The batter should have a smooth dropping consistency. Whisk the egg white to stiff peaks using a mixer or whisk. Fold the egg whites into the batter gently, using a spatula.
Place a little butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Place a ladleful of batter into the pan, sprinkle 1 tbsp blueberries over the top of the pancake and cook until the underside of each pancake is golden brown and the top side of the pancake is just cooked and a few bubbles start to appear. This will take about 2-3 mins. Turn the pancake over using a spatula and cook on the other side until golden brown.
Keep the pancakes warm while you cook the remaining batter, adding a little more butter to the pan each time, if needed, and sprinkling each pancake with blueberries.
For the sauce, place the blueberries, lime juice and sugar in a saucepan with the water and simmer over a gentle heat for about 5-10 mins until the fruit is soft and the sauce is syrupy. Serve the pancakes warm with the sauce and whipped cream.
Chocolate hazelnut crêpes
Makes 10 For the roasted hazelnuts
- 200g hazelnuts
For the crêpes
- 140g plain flour
- 1 egg, separated
- 2 tbsp melted butter, cooled, plus extra for greasing
- 15g caster sugar
- pinch of salt
- 300ml milk
For the hazelnut chocolate sauce
- 100g icing sugar, sifted
- 50g butter
- 120ml double cream
- 150g plain chocolate, chopped
Roast the hazelnuts spread out in a single layer on the baking tray in a preheated oven at 180C/350F/gas mark 4 for about 10 mins and remove them as soon as they start to turn light golden brown and have just started to release their oil. Watch carefully towards the end of cooking to ensure that they do not burn.
If the nuts have skins on, rub them in a clean tea towel to remove skins while they are still hot. Roughly chop 50g of the nuts. Set aside until you are ready to serve. Blitz the remaining 150g of the nuts into fine crumbs in a food processor or a blender.
For the hazelnut chocolate sauce, place the icing sugar, butter, cream, chocolate and 100g of the finely chopped hazelnut crumbs in a saucepan and simmer over a gentle heat until the chocolate has melted and you have a smooth glossy sauce. Keep warm until you are ready to serve, or cool and reheat before serving.
For the crêpes, sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the egg white and yolk, melted butter, caster sugar and salt. While whisking all the time add the milk gradually, towards the end, until you have a smooth and runny batter. Fold in 50g of the finely chopped hazelnut crumbs. Leave the batter to rest for 30 mins.
Grease a large frying pan or griddle with a little butter and pour a ladleful of the hazelnut batter into the pan and quickly spread the batter out very thinly. Do this either by swirling the pan and tipping it so the batter spreads out thinly, or use a crêpe swizzle stick.
Cook until the batter on top of the crêpe is set, then turn over carefully with a spatula and cook on the other side for a minute or two until the crêpe is golden brown. Keep it warm while you cook the remaining crêpes.
Serve the crêpes straight away with the hot hazelnut chocolate sauce and sprinkle with coarsely chopped hazelnuts.
Cinnamon waffles with cinnamon cream sauce
Makes 8 For the waffles
- 260g self-raising flour, sifted
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 60g caster sugar
- pinch of salt
- 3 eggs, separated
- 375ml milk
- 75g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
For the sauce
- 60g butter, melted
- 100g caster sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 250ml double cream
To serve
- Cinnamon or vanilla ice cream
You will need
- A waffle iron
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, caster sugar, salt, egg yolks, milk and melted butter until you have a smooth batter. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and then gently fold into the batter a third at a time.
Preheat the waffle iron and grease with a little butter. Place a ladleful of the batter into the iron and cook the waffle for about 3-5 mins until golden brown. Cook 8 waffles in total, using up all the batter, and keep warm until you are ready to serve.
For the sauce, put the melted butter and sugar in a saucepan and add the cinnamon. Simmer until the mixture becomes syrupy, then remove from the heat and cool for a few minutes. Whisk in the cream. Return to the heat and cook for a few more minutes, whisking all the time. Serve the waffles straight away with scoops of ice cream and hot cinnamon cream sauce poured over.
To buy the book at the offer price of £11.99, call Macmillan Direct on 01256-302699 and quote reference GLR 9MW.