Creating the ultimate Caterham pancake recipe
Whether you’re keeping things simple with plain flour, eggs and milk thrown in a pan, flipped and served with sugar and lemon or you’re aiming for something far more decadent, pancakes are a versatile, quick and simple base to play around with.
Fortunately, there’s plenty of Pancake Day inspiration to be had from Caterham Valley’s restaurants and cafés.
Sweet and Savoury Waffles, for instance, have a few items on their menu that can easily be converted to pancake toppings. Starting on the sweet side, how about going for a rather decadent cinnamon, icing sugar, roasted mixed nuts and caramel sauce or, if you’re a chocoholic at heart, what about dark, milk and Belgian chocolate together with roasted mixed nuts and whipped cream. If you’re a more savoury kind of pancake lover, pack in the brunch with bacon, cheddar cheese, sweetcorn and green onions or head for the healthy option with avocado, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes and rocket leaves.
Or, if you’re a frequent visitor to the area’s curry houses such as Shahebs, The Kerala, Rajduth Tandoori and Bollywood, why not take advantage of the BBC Good Food’s recommended Indian potato pancake recipe. A savoury pancake filling of green lentils and potatoes with chilli and ginger? That’s sure to spice things up.
What about a Thai twist? Or a crepe that’s ripe for dunking in coffee (see Colairo’s recipe below)? Banana and chocolate (that’s Majid at Caffe Bambino’s favourite)? A recipe featuring smashed Crunchie bars, mixed with a sprinkle of salt, honey and a pinch of rosemary has even been mentioned – and quite frankly it sounds too good not to try!
If you’ve got a tried and tested family recipe that’s been passed down the generations and is a little different from the norm, make sure we know about it by emailing sue@caterhambid.co.uk or contacting us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. In the meantime, take the Caterham Valley Pancake Challenge!
Coffee pancakes recipe from Colairo’s
INGREDIENTS
• 280 grams of flour
• 70 grams of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of baking powder
• 4 tablespoons of melted butter
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 225ml of milk
• 140g of freshly ground coffee (Colairo’s preferably)
METHOD
• In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• In a separate bowl whisk the milk, coffee, eggs and butter.
• Pour in the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together.
• Preheat non a stick pan with butter.
• Pour pancake sized batter into pan and fry on both sides until done.
• Drizzle with maple syrup to finish, and serve with a fresh cup of coffee
Topping suggestions from Sweet & Savoury Waffles
Perfect for two hearty stacks of pancakes
BANANA & BACON
INGREDIENTS
• 8 rashers of smoked bacon
• 2 bananas
• 50ml maple syrup
METHOD
• Thinly slice the bacon and cook in oven for 8-10 minutes
• While the bacon is cooking, slice the bananas and brown in a frying pan
• Place the bacon and bananas on the pancakes and drizzle with maple syrup
RASPBERRY & WHITE CHOCOLATE
INGREDIENTS
• 200g white chocolate
• 100g double cream
METHOD
• Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie.
• Heat up the cream in a separate pan until simmering
• Mix the two together and pour over warm pancakes
• Decorate with fresh raspberries
BLUEBERRIES & HONEY
INGREDIENTS
• Small punnet of fresh blueberries
• 50ml of honey
METHOD
• Drizzle pancakes with honey
• Sprinkle with blueberries
SALTED CARAMEL
INGREDIENTS
• 260g sugar
• 150g cream
• 50g butter
• 6g salt
METHOD
• Caramelise the sugar and salt in a pan until golden
• Add the cream and butter to stop the cooking process
• Pour mixture on a flat tray as quickly as possible
• Serve with warm pancakes
CHOCOLATE SAUCE:
INGREDIENTS
• 200g dark chocolate
• 100ml cream
METHOD
• Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie
• Heat up the cream in a separate pan until simmering
• Mix the two together and pour over warm pancakes
