When you are on holiday there is no better time for a leisurely breakfast or brunch. A cooked breakfast or pancakes are always good go-tos. Here, Dunedin-based doctor and baker Alby Hailes has combined the two with a savoury pancake — a recipe he describes as a "game changer".
He advises folding in the beaten whites at the last minute to give a fluffy pancake and says resting the batter ensures the acid and baking powder react for extra height. "You should make these for the chilli-lime syrup alone — it’s next-level good."
Serves 4
Takes 1hr 15min
Herb ricotta pancakes
310ml milk
finely grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime
50g butter, plus extra for cooking
2 spring onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 eggs, separated
250g ricotta
300g plain flour
1½ Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp cracked black pepper
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
2 Tbsp chopped mint
2 Tbsp chopped coriander
Chilli-lime syrup
6 green cardamom pods
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
½ long green chilli, finely chopped
1 Tbsp honey
80g caster sugar
finely grated zest of 3 limes
80ml freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ tsp sea salt
50ml maple syrup
Charred greens
2 Tbsp canola oil
100g kale, stalks removed, leaves shredded
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
freshly squeezed juice of ½ lime
¼ tsp sea salt
½ head broccoli, stalk removed, cut into small florets
To serve
70g almonds, roughly chopped
150g mascarpone
chopped fresh herbs (parsley, mint, coriander)
Method
First make the pancake batter. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, lime zest and juice. Leave for 10 minutes to curdle slightly.
In a frying pan over medium heat, stir the butter, spring onion and garlic until the butter has melted and the garlic is starting to turn golden. Transfer to a separate bowl and leave to cool for a minute or two. Add the egg yolks and ricotta and whisk until smooth. Add the egg mixture to the curdled milk and whisk until well combined. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until just combined, to form a relatively thick batter. Stir the herbs through. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold half the egg whites into the batter, then fold in the rest until just mixed through. Leave to rest for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the chilli-lime syrup. Use a mortar and pestle to lightly crush the cardamom pods to open them. Transfer the pods and seeds to a small saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients (except the maple syrup) and 125ml water. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat then reduce the heat slightly to a rapid simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 7 minutes or until reduced by half and starting to thicken a little to a maple syrup-like consistency. It will thicken further as it cools. Strain through a sieve into a jug, stir in the maple syrup, and set aside to cool.
Heat the oven to 80°C fan-forced (or 100°C conventional).
To cook the pancakes, melt a knob of butter in a large cast iron or non-stick frying pan over medium heat, tilting the pan to allow the butter to evenly coat the base. Once hot, drop ladles of batter into the pan one or two at a time, depending on desired size. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the surface of the pancake has some bubbles that are just starting to pop. Flip over and cook for a further 3 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining batter (you do not need to re-butter the pan), adjusting the temperature as you go to achieve a beautiful golden-brown colour. Place the pancakes on a plate in the heated oven to keep warm while you cook the rest.
Charred greens
Meanwhile, cook the charred greens. Heat 1 Tbsp canola oil in a medium-large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the kale and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, then add the lime juice, salt and 125ml water. Cook for a further 6 minutes, until the kale is wilted and the water has evaporated. Transfer the kale to a bowl and set aside. Heat the remaining oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli florets and cook for 3 minutes, until slightly charred and cooked, but retaining a little crunch. Return the wilted kale to the pan and stir to heat through. Remove from the heat.
To serve
Toast the almonds in a frying pan over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, until lightly browned. Place the mascarpone in a small bowl and whip with a fork until smooth. Serve the pancakes warm, topped with the charred greens, a dollop of mascarpone, toasted almonds, chopped fresh herbs and a generous drizzle of chilli-lime syrup.
The book
Good Vibes, by Alby Hailes (HarperCollins NZ, HB, RRP $55)
