I wouldn’t say I had a particularly English upbringing, but there were two things my mum held on to fiercely when it came to her children celebrating cultural holidays. Of the utmost importance was Christmas, of course, but Pancake Day came a close second. I’m not really sure why this day mattered so much, but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s to do with eating pancakes for dinner, lovingly doused in lemon and sugar. Yeasted pancakes mixed with saffron and cardamom (called chebab) are typical of Gulf countries, but I must confess I much prefer these lacy thin crepes. So here’s an ode to Mum’s pancakes, with a bit of a twist.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour 20 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Pancakes
Honey Lime Syrup
Preparation
Pancakes
Step 1
Sift 110 g (3¾ oz.) all-purpose flour into a medium bowl, then whisk with ⅛ tsp. fine sea salt and two-thirds of the seeds from 15 cardamom pods, finely crushed using a pestle and mortar. Make a well in the center, crack in 2 large eggs, then pour in 280 ml (9¾ oz.) whole milk. Whisk for a couple of minutes until smooth and lump-free, then whisk in 20 g (¾ oz.) unsalted butter, melted, to incorporate. Leave to rest for 20 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, roughly crush 25 g (1 oz.) pistachios, toasted, using a pestle and mortar. Add 1½ tsp. caster (superfine) sugar, 1½ tsp. finely grated lime zest (the limes are used for the syrup), and remaining cardamom and crush just to combine. Set aside.
Step 3
Heat a 9½" crepe pan or similar nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add a small dot of butter, swirling to spread it around the pan, then add about 3 Tbsp. batter (two-thirds of a ladle) to center of pan and swirl to fill dimensions of pan. Cook about 1–1½ minutes, until nicely browned in places, then flip over and cook 30 seconds more. Transfer to a large tray or plate, and gently fold in half and then in half again to form a triangle. Continue this way with all the batter (give the batter a little mix), adding a dot of butter to the pan each time, to make 8 pancakes in total.
Honey Lime Syrup
Step 4
Add 100 g (3½ oz.) honey to a large, lidded sauté pan and place it over a medium heat. Cook 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally with a spatula, or until bubbling and a deep amber caramel. Carefully add 30 g (1 oz.) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, stirring to melt. Pour in 5 Tbsp. lime juice (from about 3 limes) and 2 Tbsp. water and cook 3 minutes more, or until sauce is nice and glossy. Stir in 1 tsp. orange blossom water, then slide in the pancakes (don’t worry if they’re overlapping or not fully submerged), top with the lid and cook 2 minutes, just to heat through. Transfer pancakes to a large platter, pouring over any syrup left in pan. Sprinkle with the pistachio mixture and serve warm.
Recipe notes
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