This recipe is my homage to Sunday-morning brunch, which is one of those occasions when anything goes; in other words, be as indulgent and naughty as you like because it is certainly not the time to count calories or grams of fat. Feel free to add blueberries, nuts and sultanas if the fancy takes you. The syrup can be made days or even weeks in advance and stored in the fridge.
FOR THE PANCAKES – Serves 4
25g Venezuelan 100% dark chocolate, grated
200g buckwheat flour, or spelt
1 free-range egg
45g light muscovado sugar
350ml milk
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
25g unsalted butter, for frying
FOR THE SYRUP
Pinch of sea salt
250ml dark maple syrup
100g 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1. Place all the pancake ingredients (except the butter) in a blender or food processor and whizz until a smooth, thick batter is formed. Leave the batter to rest while you make the syrup.
2. To make the syrup, dissolve the salt in 50ml water in a saucepan over a gentle heat, then add the maple syrup and bring to a simmer. Pour on to the chocolate in a bowl and whisk well until smooth.
3. Heat a crêpe pan or non-stick frying pan until quite hot and melt a generous wedge of butter until it sizzles. Spoon a small or large amount of the batter into the pan, depending on whether you want to make American pancakes or crêpes. Leave to cook on a medium heat until you see bubbles on the surface of the pancake, then carefully turn over and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Place the pancakes on a plate and cover with foil until you have cooked the entire batch.
Serve the pancakes laced with the warm syrup – be generous as the pancakes soak up a lot!
Adventures with Chocolate by Paul A. Young is published by Kyle Books, priced £14.99. Photography by Anders Schopnnemann.
