Chestnut pancakes

I'm sure many of you have heard of traditional American pancakes , although here we usually talk about pancakes . They are a kind of sweet flat bread, or you can also see them as a small, thicker crêpe.

The truth is that pancakes are a very easy resource to make, perfect for breakfast or snacks, and accompanied by jam, syrup or cream they are spectacular. Even more so with this recipe for chestnut pancakes brought to us by Rosa, author of Pemberley Cup&Cakes , which she accompanies with another luxury ingredient that we all have at home, honey. I leave you with it:

Wow, another year that goes straight into the album of memories and one that is ready to be launched. Every beginning is a new opportunity to discover and try everything that we had left in the pipeline, that had resisted us or that simply had never presented the opportunity.

However, it is easy to agree with the fact that we do not need to set ourselves great goals or objectives that end up being almost unattainable. Small daily achievements are, more often than not, the ones that give us the most satisfaction, especially because we can enjoy them and also share them almost immediately. Like these pancakes or chestnut pancakes, which, almost effortlessly, thanks to the gratifying nature of cooking with the Le Creuset cast iron skillet , make any breakfast a special occasion and, of course, make it a real pleasure.

And that being said, don't tell me that this isn't a good way to start the day, the year and everything we set out to do. At home we all loved them, especially accompanied by a generous dose of rosemary honey . Simply sublime. Will you try them, right?

Le Creuset Skillet with Mellarius Rosemary Honey

Ingredients (for 10-12 pancakes, depending on size)

(All ingredients must be at room temperature, unless otherwise indicated)

• 200gr of soft wheat flour
• 45gr (3 tablespoons) white sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder (Royal type)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon ground Ceylon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs (L)
• 240ml of milk
• 30g unsalted butter, melted and warmed to room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 125g chestnut puree ( see "Notes" below )
• Unsalted butter or release spray , for greasing

Elaboration

1. In a large bowl, sift the flour with a sieve , 1 tablespoon (15g) of sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt and mix well with a whisk until completely combined. Set aside.
2. Next, separate the yolks from the whites (set aside the yolks) and begin to beat the whites with the whisk at medium speed. As soon as they acquire a slightly firm consistency, although still somewhat soft, add the remaining 2 tablespoons (approx. 30g) of sugar gradually and without stopping beating. Once all the sugar has been added, increase the speed to high and continue beating the whites until they achieve a slightly firmer consistency, but without them becoming dry. We also set aside.
3. In another large bowl, mix the egg yolks, milk, melted butter (now warm to room temperature), vanilla extract and chestnut puree with a whisk until you get a creamy, uniform texture.
4. Next, we add the previous mixture of wet ingredients (point 3) to the mixture of dry ingredients that we had reserved (point 1) and, with the help of a silicone spatula , we mix just enough until everything is more or less integrated.
5. Finally, we add the whipped egg whites (step 2) to the previous mixture very gently, using circular movements with the spatula to avoid ruining the volume achieved.
6. Once the mixture is ready, we preheat our skillet over medium heat and lightly grease it with a pinch of butter or release spray (a step that we will repeat after each batch).
7. We pour about 60-80ml of batter (depending on the size chosen) into the skillet , making sure it is in a circular shape, and let it brown on one side (about a couple of minutes) before turning it over with a flat silicone spatula to brown the other side (1-2 minutes). The first pancake is usually not the best, but you will see that the second one turns out really well.
8. We serve our pancakes while still hot (directly in the skillet is a perfect option), with a generous portion of honey; the rosemary honey , as I was saying, is simply a spectacle.

Le Creuset bowl glass , Le Creuset Skillet frying pan and Mellarius rosemary honey

Grades

If you prefer to use homemade chestnut puree instead of the commercial version, you will need:

• 500gr of chestnuts
• 55gr of butter
• 120ml whole milk
• Salt and pepper to taste (optional)

1. We make a small incision in the skin of the chestnuts with a very sharp knife , place them in a large saucepan well covered with water and let them cook for about 20 minutes over medium heat (or about 10 minutes in the microwave at maximum power).
2. We drain and let them cool until we can handle them without burning ourselves.
3. While they cool, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent it from burning, until it acquires a deeper golden hue.
4. Peel the chestnuts, place them, along with the hot milk and the melted and lightly toasted butter, in the blender and blend finely until obtaining a creamy and uniform consistency (if it is too thick, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of milk until you get the desired texture).
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste and store refrigerated in an airtight glass jar until use.

If you need to reheat your chestnut pancakes, don't hesitate to pop them in the toaster for a few minutes. They'll be almost as good as freshly made!

So, Happy New Year and a hug full of my best wishes to everyone.

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