Cherry and ricotta blintzes with sour cherry soup recipe
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Prep time: 30 minutes, plus chilling |
Cooking time: 30 minutesÂ
340g sweet, dark cherries, pitted (save the pits for the recipe)
50g sugar
100g Greek yogurt
50g sugar
METHOD
To make the soup, place the cherry pits in a large saucepan. Add 600ml water, bring to the boil, then simmer for five minutes. Remove the pits. Add the sugar, wine, salt and zest and bring back to the boil. Boil for three minutes. Add the cherries, cover and simmer for five minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. In a large bowl whisk the yogurt with 125ml of the soup until the mixture is smooth.
While many often turn to ready-made pancake mix â Aunt Jemimas, invented in Missouri in 1889, has been sold for centuries â cooking the dish from scratch is actually incredibly simple.Â
It is a sad fact of life, but the first pancake never works. The first of any batch I make is a sad flaccid rag, too soft to even contemplate tossing: usually gobbled up by my teenage son, more from pity than hunger, I suspect. But, get the right kit, and follow these simple tips, and you ll soon have a stack of triumphant pancakes piled up.Â
The problem, generally, is that the pan is not hot enough. To make a successful pancake, it should be shimmeringly hot, so that a few drops of water flicked on to the surface skitter like pinballs before evaporating.
The perfect pancake formula
In 2012, University College London came up with a formula for the perfect flipping technique and it seems size really does matter.
According to University Professor of Mathematics Frank Smith, the simple mathematical formula for the perfect flip is:
L = 4×H /π– D / 2
(L = hand distance from inner edge of the pancake / H = height of flip / D = diameter of pancake)
Professor Smith said: We all know that no-one enjoys wasting ingredients but there are many factors and risks involved in producing a perfect pancake. We’ve discovered that the wrong direction or speed, for instance, will mean that the average flipper may ruin two or even more pancakes trying to perfect their technique.
Get creative on Pancake Day with these clever recipes
Scribbles, stacks and sugar-scorched edges are all on the menu, and the ideas don’t stop there. It’s time to get busy with your batter.
Try squeezing pancake batter from a bottle to make fun shapes
Credit: Haarala Hamilton
Oh flip, it’s Shrove Tuesday today. Time, according to the Christian tradition, to be shriven (forgiven) of our sins before Lent – and also to make pancakes, just as we Brits have for centuries.
Chez Clay, we’ll always have some hot from the pan, gobbled up with just a crunchy dusting of sugar and a tart squeeze of lemon juice.