Lemon Scented Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup

When I am away for a weekend, Steve goes wild in the kitchen.  He rustles up a huge grill up, with all the extra's, including tomatoes, mushrooms and black pudding, puts the whole lot on a supersize plate and tries to get through it.  He always sends me a picture of his efforts, and then he doesn't eat for the rest of the day.

When Steve is away, this is what I come up with.

 

Lemon pancakes with blueberry syrup; an absolutely classic brunch combination.  Yes, I sent Steve a picture, no I couldn't finish it.  I gave it a damn good try though!  The flavours are fresh and the syrup is not too sweet due to the lemon juice.  The strawberries are also perfect with it.  This recipe makes 3 very filling pancakes and a whole jug of syrup.  You could jazz it up some more by adding some extra blueberries to the pancake batter before you cook.

Steve was off in Birmingham last weekend to watch the cricket finals with the boys.  He came back exhausted, a bit hungover and elated, having had the chance to chat with some of his cricketing idols (and take a few of his first ever selfies) and watch some brilliant (and tense) cricket.  He got back on the Sunday and no sooner had he sat down than I was dragging him off to Mt Ephraim to watch The Pantaloons perform a History of Britain (more on that to come this week).

I on the other hand spent the Saturday revelling in the fact that I had the house to myself and took full advantage to prepare a brunch dish I have been craving for a couple of weeks.  Steve and I are on a major health and fitness kick at the moment so this was in the nature of a last big blow out before being good started. 

Pancakes:
200g plain flour
200ml semi-skimmed milk
2 eggs
Grated zest of 2 lemons (for really lemony pancakes)
Pinch of salt
Oil for frying

Blueberry Syrup
1 punnet of blueberries
50g granulated sugar
50ml water
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon cornflour

Whisk together the flour, milk, eggs and lemon zest with the salt until smooth and a bit frothy.  You can rest the mixture for 20 minutes in the fridge if you want - just give it a stir to bring it all back together again before cooking with it.

In a saucepan, heat the sugar and the water together until the sugar dissolves into the water.  Mix the cornflour with a splash of water until it forms a paste, then add this to the sugar water mix.  Add the lemon juice and the blueberries and leave over a low heat until the blueberries have started to pop and a thick sauce has formed (about 5 minutes), stirring occassionally.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan, pour a third of the batter over and swill around the pan to form an even layer, and cook on one side until golden brown.  Flip (either with a spatula, or risk it and toss that pancake with just a whistle and a prayer), repeat on the other side, transfer to a plate and keep warm in a low oven.  Repeat for 2 more pancakes (these make thick pancakes).  Stack the pancakes high, squeeze some more lemon over the top and drizzle with the blueberry sauce.  Add some fresh berries of your choice. 

Best served on your own with no one around that you would feel obligated to share with.  Although if you can finish it all, you are a stronger person than I!

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