Apple and yoghurt pancakes with blackberry and honey sauce
Ideal for a leisurely weekend brunch
Ingredients
300g self-raising flour; 50g sugar; four eggs; 150ml natural yoghurt; two eating apples, peeled and chopped; milk and butter to cook the pancakes; blackberry and honey sauce; 200g blackberries (or blueberries ); two to three tablespoons of honey; juice of one lemon.
Method
Place all the batter ingredients in the processor. Whizz until well blended. Heat a non–stick pan and add a touch of butter. Add four large spoonfuls of batter, spaced well apart and cook for two minutes until bubbles appear, flip and cook for another minute. Transfer to a plate and keep warm while you cook the rest. Makes about 16.
To make the sauce
Heat the fruit, honey and lemon juice until you have a nice thick fruity sauce. Serve warm with the pancakes and extra yoghurt if you wish.
French toast with caramelised plums
Great dessert or brunch dish
Ingredients
Four eggs; 125 ml milk; eight slices bread (brioche if possible ); a little butter for cooking.
Serve with eight ripe plums, halved and stoned; two tablespoons of sugar; and maple syrup.
Method
Mix the eggs and milk together then pour the mixture into a shallow dish. Soak the bread in the mixture for a few minutes. Heat a large pan, add a little butter and cook the French toast until golden on both sides. Heat another pan, dip the plums into the sugar then place cut side down on the hot pan and allow the sugar to caramelise but don’t let it burn! When all the plums are ready serve with the French toast and maple syrup.
Poached eggs on tomato and mushroom toasts
This makes a delicious lunch
Ingredients
Olive oil; two large flat mushrooms, thinly sliced; pinch of salt and black pepper; one tablespoon of white wine vinegar; four eggs; four thick slices of good bread, toasted on one side; four to six cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced, and four slices of cheese.
Method
Heat a little of the olive oil and sauté the mushrooms for a minute or two and season.
Set aside. Bring a shallow pan of water to simmer, add the vinegar and salt. Break one egg onto a saucer, stir the water to create a whirlpool, tip in the egg and leave to cook for three minutes. Using a slotted spoon, lift on to a plate. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Keep the water hot.
Heat the grill to high, arrange the mushrooms on the untoasted side of the bread, cover with the tomatoes and then the cheese, grill for five to six minutes until the cheese has just melted. Place the toast on warmed plates. Slide all the eggs back into the hot water and leave for 30 seconds, lift out and drain on kitchen paper, then put one on top of toast. Season and serve. www.bordbia.ie
