1. Avocados

2. Nuts

3. Protein Bars

4. Granola and Trail Mix

5. Dried Fruit

6. Chocolate

7. Glunten-Free Foods

8. Nutrition Waters

9. Smoothies

10. Tuna

11. Coffee Drinks

12. Flavored Greek Yogurt

Try this savoury buckwheat crepes with leek and goat’s cheese recipe for Shrove Tuesday supper. Ratatouille, ham and Gruyere or meat ragu also work well as alternative fillings. To make sweet crepes, add 2-tablespoon caster sugar to the batter before frying.
Preparation: 15 min plus standing
Cooking: 20 min
Serves 4
For the buckwheat crepes
For the filling
1. Sift the flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre and crack in the egg. Using a wooden spoon or whisk, gradually draw in the flour from the sides. Gradually blend in the milk followed by 50-100ml water until it has the consistency of single cream. Leave to stand for 30 min.
2. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan oven) gas mark 6. Heat a 20cm crepe pan over a medium heat. Wipe the surface of the pan with sunflower oil using a wedge of kitchen paper.
3. Stir the butter into the batter. Pour 3tbsp batter in the centre of the pan and swirl to cover the base. Cook for 1 min until the edges are golden and the bottom is set. Flip over and cook for another minute. Transfer to a plate and continue using up the batter, putting a piece of greaseproof paper between each crepe.
4. Meanwhile, sweat the leeks in the butter over a low heat for 15 mins, covered. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a good grating of nutmeg.
5. Put a crepe on the work surface. Put a spoonful of the leeks into the centre, followed by a crumbling of the cheese. Fold into a square parcel and place seam side down on a large baking sheet. Continue with the remaining crepes and leek mixture. Heat through in the oven for 5 mins until the cheese is melted. Serve hot with a green salad.
Try this savoury buckwheat crepes with leek and goat’s cheese recipe for Shrove Tuesday supper. Ratatouille, ham and Gruyere or meat ragu also work well as alternative fillings. To make sweet crepes, add 2-tablespoon caster sugar to the batter before frying.
Preparation: 15 min plus standing
Cooking: 20 min
Serves 4
For the buckwheat crepes
For the filling
1. Sift the flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre and crack in the egg. Using a wooden spoon or whisk, gradually draw in the flour from the sides. Gradually blend in the milk followed by 50-100ml water until it has the consistency of single cream. Leave to stand for 30 min.
2. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan oven) gas mark 6. Heat a 20cm crepe pan over a medium heat. Wipe the surface of the pan with sunflower oil using a wedge of kitchen paper.
3. Stir the butter into the batter. Pour 3tbsp batter in the centre of the pan and swirl to cover the base. Cook for 1 min until the edges are golden and the bottom is set. Flip over and cook for another minute. Transfer to a plate and continue using up the batter, putting a piece of greaseproof paper between each crepe.
4. Meanwhile, sweat the leeks in the butter over a low heat for 15 mins, covered. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a good grating of nutmeg.
5. Put a crepe on the work surface. Put a spoonful of the leeks into the centre, followed by a crumbling of the cheese. Fold into a square parcel and place seam side down on a large baking sheet. Continue with the remaining crepes and leek mixture. Heat through in the oven for 5 mins until the cheese is melted. Serve hot with a green salad.
Try these flavoured sugars for an instant zing of flavour to pancakes. All of these sugars make beautiful presents. As well as sprinkling them over pancakes, try them in shortbread biscuits, dusted over the top of sponges, or stirred into egg custard.
Cut up a vanilla pod and whizz with 225g caster sugar in a food processor, then pass through a seive. Store in an airtight jar until required.
Pour a tablespoon of lemon juice over 225g caster sugar in a bowl, and stir until it is uniformly moist. Scatter it over a baking tray and place somewhere warm overnight to dry out. Transfer the sugar to a food processor and whizz to a free-flowing consistency. Peel off the zest from a lemon using a vegetable peeler, and store the sugar with the zest in an airtight jar.
Whizz a cinnamon stick with 225g caster sugar in a food processor, then pass through a sieve. Store in an airtight jar with a cinnamon stick in the centre.
Make as for Lemon Sugar, using a tablespoon of rosewater. Star Kay White (available from Waitrose) makes a particularly pungent rosewater, which in fact is more like an extract, and a little added in with traditional rosewater will give the sugar a greater intensity. Pull off the petals from an organic red rose, and mix these into the sugar before storing it in an airtight jar.
Try these flavoured sugars for an instant zing of flavour to pancakes. All of these sugars make beautiful presents. As well as sprinkling them over pancakes, try them in shortbread biscuits, dusted over the top of sponges, or stirred into egg custard.
Cut up a vanilla pod and whizz with 225g caster sugar in a food processor, then pass through a seive. Store in an airtight jar until required.
Pour a tablespoon of lemon juice over 225g caster sugar in a bowl, and stir until it is uniformly moist. Scatter it over a baking tray and place somewhere warm overnight to dry out. Transfer the sugar to a food processor and whizz to a free-flowing consistency. Peel off the zest from a lemon using a vegetable peeler, and store the sugar with the zest in an airtight jar.
Whizz a cinnamon stick with 225g caster sugar in a food processor, then pass through a sieve. Store in an airtight jar with a cinnamon stick in the centre.
Make as for Lemon Sugar, using a tablespoon of rosewater. Star Kay White (available from Waitrose) makes a particularly pungent rosewater, which in fact is more like an extract, and a little added in with traditional rosewater will give the sugar a greater intensity. Pull off the petals from an organic red rose, and mix these into the sugar before storing it in an airtight jar.
Buckwheat pancakes are sold hot from the griddle as a snack throughout France. A versatile wrapper, they are just as likely to be folded round a grilled sausage as stuffed with stewed apple or jam to eat with a dollop of crème fraîche. Rolled around a creamy mushroom stuffing, they’re a satisfying main course on a cold day.
Preparation: 15 minutes, plus standing
Cooking: about 50 minutes
Serves 4-6
For the filling
Photo: Clare Richardson
1. Prepare the buckwheat pancake mix first. Sift the flour with the baking powder and a little salt. Whisk or process with the eggs and enough milk to make a smooth batter as runny as pouring cream. Leave for 10 minutes so the flour swells and makes a lighter batter.
2. Meanwhile, make the filling. Melt half the butter in a small pan and fry the mushrooms until they yield up all their water and begin to sizzle. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve. Heat the remaining butter in the pan juices but stop before it browns. Sprinkle in the flour and fry for a minute or two until the mixture looks sandy. Gradually whisk in the milk and bubble until thick and smooth. Taste and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Fold two-thirds of the sauce into the mushrooms and dilute the rest with the cream.
3. Heat a griddle or heavy frying pan about the size of a dinner plate, rub with a cloth dipped in whatever you’re using for greasing and test the heat with a drop of the mixture – it should sizzle and set immediately. You may need more milk or a little extra flour. Pour in enough mixture to cover the base of the pan. Cook over a medium heat until the top looks dry and bubbly. Flip it over and cook the other side. Continue until all the mixture is used up, interleaving the buckwheat pancakes with greaseproof paper and keeping them warm in a cloth.
4. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven) gas mark 4. Spread the middle of each pancake with the mushroom mixture, top with a little bundle of greenery if using and roll up. Arrange the rolled buckwheat pancakes in a gratin dish and cover with the rest of the white sauce, top with grated cheese and heat in the oven until brown and bubbling.
Recipe by Elisabeth Luard
Buckwheat pancakes are sold hot from the griddle as a snack throughout France. A versatile wrapper, they are just as likely to be folded round a grilled sausage as stuffed with stewed apple or jam to eat with a dollop of crème fraîche. Rolled around a creamy mushroom stuffing, they’re a satisfying main course on a cold day.
Preparation: 15 minutes, plus standing
Cooking: about 50 minutes
Serves 4-6
For the filling
Photo: Clare Richardson
1. Prepare the buckwheat pancake mix first. Sift the flour with the baking powder and a little salt. Whisk or process with the eggs and enough milk to make a smooth batter as runny as pouring cream. Leave for 10 minutes so the flour swells and makes a lighter batter.
2. Meanwhile, make the filling. Melt half the butter in a small pan and fry the mushrooms until they yield up all their water and begin to sizzle. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve. Heat the remaining butter in the pan juices but stop before it browns. Sprinkle in the flour and fry for a minute or two until the mixture looks sandy. Gradually whisk in the milk and bubble until thick and smooth. Taste and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Fold two-thirds of the sauce into the mushrooms and dilute the rest with the cream.
3. Heat a griddle or heavy frying pan about the size of a dinner plate, rub with a cloth dipped in whatever you’re using for greasing and test the heat with a drop of the mixture – it should sizzle and set immediately. You may need more milk or a little extra flour. Pour in enough mixture to cover the base of the pan. Cook over a medium heat until the top looks dry and bubbly. Flip it over and cook the other side. Continue until all the mixture is used up, interleaving the buckwheat pancakes with greaseproof paper and keeping them warm in a cloth.
4. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven) gas mark 4. Spread the middle of each pancake with the mushroom mixture, top with a little bundle of greenery if using and roll up. Arrange the rolled buckwheat pancakes in a gratin dish and cover with the rest of the white sauce, top with grated cheese and heat in the oven until brown and bubbling.
Recipe by Elisabeth Luard
This chocolate pancakes millefeuille is a real extravaganza, a showpiece as the finale to a special dinner or presented with candles as a birthday cake.
Preparation: 20 minutes, plus standing
Cooking: 30 minutes
Serves 8
For the chocolate sauce
1. To make the chocolate sauce, place the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water and gently melt it. Whisk in the butter, and once this has melted whisk in the milk, cream, coffee and sugar. Transfer the sauce to a cool bowl, cover the surface with clingfilm and set aside until required. It will firm up to the consistency of double cream as it cools.
2. To assemble the pudding spread a little chocolate sauce on the base of a gratin dish, as wide as the pancakes, then layer the pancakes spreading each one with about 1½ tablespoons of the chocolate sauce. Expect this to ooze out into the bottom of the dish as you get higher. You should have about a third of the sauce left over at the end. Cover the chocolate pancakes stack with foil. You can prepare the pudding to this point several hours in advance, in which case set it aside somewhere cool.
3. To serve it, heat the oven to 170°C, gas mark 3, and reheat the pudding for 20-25 minutes. In the meantime gently reheat the remaining chocolate sauce in a small saucepan. Remove the foil and coat the surface with the sauce, allowing it to run down the sides of the chocolate pancakes, and serve straightaway, cut into wedges like a cake.
This chocolate pancakes millefeuille is a real extravaganza, a showpiece as the finale to a special dinner or presented with candles as a birthday cake.
Preparation: 20 minutes, plus standing
Cooking: 30 minutes
Serves 8
For the chocolate sauce
1. To make the chocolate sauce, place the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water and gently melt it. Whisk in the butter, and once this has melted whisk in the milk, cream, coffee and sugar. Transfer the sauce to a cool bowl, cover the surface with clingfilm and set aside until required. It will firm up to the consistency of double cream as it cools.
2. To assemble the pudding spread a little chocolate sauce on the base of a gratin dish, as wide as the pancakes, then layer the pancakes spreading each one with about 1½ tablespoons of the chocolate sauce. Expect this to ooze out into the bottom of the dish as you get higher. You should have about a third of the sauce left over at the end. Cover the chocolate pancakes stack with foil. You can prepare the pudding to this point several hours in advance, in which case set it aside somewhere cool.
3. To serve it, heat the oven to 170°C, gas mark 3, and reheat the pudding for 20-25 minutes. In the meantime gently reheat the remaining chocolate sauce in a small saucepan. Remove the foil and coat the surface with the sauce, allowing it to run down the sides of the chocolate pancakes, and serve straightaway, cut into wedges like a cake.
These light, fluffy buttermilk pancakes are the perfect way to start the day. Serve warm and topped with thick Greek yoghurt and stewed winter fruits.
Preparation: 10 minutes, plus standing
Cooking: about 15 minutes
Makes 12-15
1. Sift together the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda with a pinch of salt. Stir in the sugar.
2. Combine the egg, buttermilk and butter, and gradually whisk into the flour to make a smooth batter – it should be the consistency of thick double cream, so add a drop of milk if necessary. Leave the mixture to stand for 5 minutes.
3. Place a large frying pan over a medium heat until hot. Brush the surface with a little melted butter. Pour about 2 tablespoons of the mixture into the pan to form a circle. Cook for about 2 minutes until small holes appear on the surface, then turn over and cook for another 1-2 minutes until golden and cooked through. Do this in batches, depending on the size of your pan, re-greasing when necessary. Serve the buttermilk pancakes warm with Greek yogurt and fresh berries or a dried-fruit compote.
These light, fluffy buttermilk pancakes are the perfect way to start the day. Serve warm and topped with thick Greek yoghurt and stewed winter fruits.
Preparation: 10 minutes, plus standing
Cooking: about 15 minutes
Makes 12-15
1. Sift together the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda with a pinch of salt. Stir in the sugar.
2. Combine the egg, buttermilk and butter, and gradually whisk into the flour to make a smooth batter – it should be the consistency of thick double cream, so add a drop of milk if necessary. Leave the mixture to stand for 5 minutes.
3. Place a large frying pan over a medium heat until hot. Brush the surface with a little melted butter. Pour about 2 tablespoons of the mixture into the pan to form a circle. Cook for about 2 minutes until small holes appear on the surface, then turn over and cook for another 1-2 minutes until golden and cooked through. Do this in batches, depending on the size of your pan, re-greasing when necessary. Serve the buttermilk pancakes warm with Greek yogurt and fresh berries or a dried-fruit compote.
This hazelnut and chocolate spread recipe produces a moreish topping for toast or cakes, or heat gently and serve with pancakes.
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 10 minutes
Makes about 500g
Photo: Brent Darby
1. Heat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan oven) gas mark 3. Spread the hazelnuts in one layer on a baking sheet. Cook for 5-8 minutes until golden. Rub off the skins with a clean tea towel if necessary. Leave to cool thoroughly.
2. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir once or twice until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly while still remaining liquid.
3. Put the hazelnuts in a food processor and whizz until very finely ground and oily looking. Add the oil and whizz until smooth. Add the sugar, cocoa and vanilla, and whizz until combined – it will come together in a ball.
4. With the motor running, gradually add the chocolate until smooth and combined. There will still probably be a little texture from the nuts. If you prefer a smoother chocolate spread, push through a sieve.
This hazelnut and chocolate spread recipe produces a moreish topping for toast or cakes, or heat gently and serve with pancakes.
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 10 minutes
Makes about 500g
Photo: Brent Darby
1. Heat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan oven) gas mark 3. Spread the hazelnuts in one layer on a baking sheet. Cook for 5-8 minutes until golden. Rub off the skins with a clean tea towel if necessary. Leave to cool thoroughly.
2. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir once or twice until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly while still remaining liquid.
3. Put the hazelnuts in a food processor and whizz until very finely ground and oily looking. Add the oil and whizz until smooth. Add the sugar, cocoa and vanilla, and whizz until combined – it will come together in a ball.
4. With the motor running, gradually add the chocolate until smooth and combined. There will still probably be a little texture from the nuts. If you prefer a smoother chocolate spread, push through a sieve.
If you’re anything like us at the Country Living office this year, Shrove Tuesday will have taken you a bit by surprise. To help you out recipe-wise, we’ve delved into the CL archives for this foolproof pancake recipe which promises both tastiness and foolproofness. Perfect. Don’t forget to buy lemons and let us know your favourite toppings. I start with lemon and sugar then move onto Nutella and sliced bananas.
Makes approximately 16
1. To prepare the pancakes by hand, place the flour, sugar (a tablespoon for sweet pancakes and a pinch for savoury) and salt in a large bowl, add the eggs and yolks and mix to a lumpy wet paste using a spoon. Now whisk in the milk, a little to begin with to smooth out the lumps, then in bolder streams once you have a creamy batter. Alternatively place all the ingredients except for the butter in a blender and whizz until smooth. Give the sides and bottom of the blender a stir to make sure there’s no flour clinging, and whizz again. Leave the batter to stand for at least 30 minutes, then stir in the melted butter, transferring the batter to a bowl if you’ve made it in a blender.
2. Heat a frying pan with an 18cm base (a 24cm pan) over a medium-high heat for several minutes – if you want to speed things up, have two on the go.
3. Ladle in just enough batter to coat the base, tipping it to allow it to run evenly over the surface. When the pan is hot enough, the pancake mixture should sizzle as it hits the pan. Cook for 30 seconds until the top side appears dry and lacy at the edges and it is golden and lacy underneath. Loosen the edges using a palette knife or spatula, slip this underneath and flip it over. Give it another 30 seconds and then slip it onto a plate. Once you’ve done three or four, you really get into the swing of it. Cook the remainder likewise.
4. You can either dish up the pancakes as they are cooked, or pile them up on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. This pancake recipe can be made in advance, too – cover and chill them once they are cool, and reheat them briefly on each side in a dry frying pan. In this case, they keep well for several days.
5. Serve the pancakes rolled or folded.
If you’re anything like us at the Country Living office this year, Shrove Tuesday will have taken you a bit by surprise. To help you out recipe-wise, we’ve delved into the CL archives for this foolproof pancake recipe which promises both tastiness and foolproofness. Perfect. Don’t forget to buy lemons and let us know your favourite toppings. I start with lemon and sugar then move onto Nutella and sliced bananas.
Makes approximately 16
1. To prepare the pancakes by hand, place the flour, sugar (a tablespoon for sweet pancakes and a pinch for savoury) and salt in a large bowl, add the eggs and yolks and mix to a lumpy wet paste using a spoon. Now whisk in the milk, a little to begin with to smooth out the lumps, then in bolder streams once you have a creamy batter. Alternatively place all the ingredients except for the butter in a blender and whizz until smooth. Give the sides and bottom of the blender a stir to make sure there’s no flour clinging, and whizz again. Leave the batter to stand for at least 30 minutes, then stir in the melted butter, transferring the batter to a bowl if you’ve made it in a blender.
2. Heat a frying pan with an 18cm base (a 24cm pan) over a medium-high heat for several minutes – if you want to speed things up, have two on the go.
3. Ladle in just enough batter to coat the base, tipping it to allow it to run evenly over the surface. When the pan is hot enough, the pancake mixture should sizzle as it hits the pan. Cook for 30 seconds until the top side appears dry and lacy at the edges and it is golden and lacy underneath. Loosen the edges using a palette knife or spatula, slip this underneath and flip it over. Give it another 30 seconds and then slip it onto a plate. Once you’ve done three or four, you really get into the swing of it. Cook the remainder likewise.
4. You can either dish up the pancakes as they are cooked, or pile them up on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. This pancake recipe can be made in advance, too – cover and chill them once they are cool, and reheat them briefly on each side in a dry frying pan. In this case, they keep well for several days.
5. Serve the pancakes rolled or folded.