Cherry Pancakes to Celebrate National Cherry Day

 

 

 

Today is National Cherry Day and whilst I normally would celebrate this with a cold dessert dish, this year I am opting for something warm. In the UK the weather has struggled to reach double figures on some days so a comforting seasonal dish of cherries with pancakes seems most fitting.

 

Cherries, thankfully, are both low GI and contain lots of Vitamin C as well as significant amounts of bioflavonoids (which makes them an excellent anti-oxidant food). These pancakes are made with a mix of plain/all-purpose flour and buckwheat flour but if you can’t find buckwheat flour then use wholewheat flour instead.

 

Enjoy this recipe while fresh cherries are plentiful and relatively cheap…it’s flipping good!

 

 

CHERRY PANCAKES

Ingredients

Metric/US

Pancakes:

50g plain flour/1/2 cup all-purpose flour

75g/3/4 cup buckwheat or wholewheat flour

1 large egg

300ml/11/4 cups semi-skimmed milk

Frylight or other low-fat cooking spray

Filling:

120 ml3/4 cup medium dry white wine or unsweetened apple juice

Splenda granulated sweetener, to taste

250g/8 oz stoned/pitted fresh cherries

2 tsp arrowroot

 

Method

1.  To make the pancakes, put the flours into a bowl, beat in the egg and a little milk with a wooden spoon. Gradually beat in the remaining milk until a smooth batter forms. Alternatively, put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and whizz to make a smooth batter. Set aside while making the cherry mixture.

2.  To make the cherry filling, put the white wine or apple juice, 4 tbsp water and Splenda to taste into a saucepan and bring to the boil. The amount of sweetener used will depend upon the tartness of the cherries you are using and the sweetness of the wine or apple juice…start with 2 tsp and then add as required. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the cherries and poach for 2 minutes, then taste and adjust the sweetness by adding more sweetener if required (if a little too sweet then add some lemon juice to sharpen the taste). Blend the arrowroot with 1 tbsp water and stir into the cherries, bring to the boil and stir until the syrup thickens. Keep warm while cooking the pancakes.

3.  To cook the pancakes, heat a small non-stick frying pan, spray about 6 times with the Frylight or non-stick spray then pour in enough batter to thinly coat the base of the pan. Cook over a medium high heat until golden brown on the underside. Turn over and cook for about a minute until the second side is also cooked and browned. Transfer onto a plate and keep warm whilst cooking the remaining pancakes in the same way…you should make 8 pancakes with this batter mixture.

4.  Serve the pancakes while still warm with the warm cherry sauce.

 

SERVES 4

WLS PORTION: 1/2

V suitable for Vegetarians

 

Calories per portion:  238

Protein:  8.8g

Carbohydrate:  39.2g

Fat:  5.2g

 

Image courtesy of Frylight