Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes with Curd

by Liz Child

You can’t beat a simple stack of fluffy pancakes for breakfast sometimes. My recipe is plant based and so easy. I’m putting my kumquat curd on absolutely everything at the moment, but actually it’s the perfect thing for pancakes being buttery, sweet and zingy, I think I’ll be making another batch or two before the season is over!

What are your favourite pancake toppings? Are you a classic butter and maple syrup person? Or do you like to go nutty with peanut butter and banana slices?

Liz x

*as always, click on the words in bold to be taken to the ingredients or other blog posts

Ingredients (makes 12 pancakes)

Method

Whisk the flour, milk, salt, sugar, baking powder and oil in a mixing bowl. You should be left with a thick, fluffy batter.

heat a non-stick pancake pan to medium high and add a tsp of butter to the pan.

Fry dollops of the batter in small batches of 3 pancakes in the pan (if your pan is small, just do 1 or 2 at a time).

Flip when golden brown underneath and thick and fluffy on top. I like to drop a few blueberries into the wet batter just before flipping them.

Once cooked on both sides, stack up on a plate and top with some curd and a few more blueberries.

1, 2, 3 Shortbread!

by Liz Child

A classic shortbread biscuit is buttery and tender with a crumbly, melt in the mouth texture. It shouldn’t be soft or chewy like a cookie, but delicately crisp. The simplicity of the ingredients is what makes shortbread so good. The perfect sugar:butter:flour ratio is 1:2:3 and so you can easily work the recipe up or down to make a batch however large you like. The best way to get the right texture is to weigh the ingredients out carefully and not to overwork the dough. Here’s a handy little video which explains it all.

Let us know in the comments or over on our facebook group if you make the recipe. I’d love to see your photos. Liz x

Ingredients (makes 12)

  • 100g caster sugar
  • 200g butter (I use this vegan one)
  • 300g plain flour (I love this spelt one for perfect biscuits and cakes)
  • optional extras – lemon zest, more caster sugar to roll the cookies in…
Bergamot zest shortbread with kumquat curd.

Method

Measure the sugar, butter and flour into a bowl. Add optional lemon zest – I used the gorgeous bergamot lemons we have in season now.

Using the tips of your fingers (so as not to make the dough too warm or melty) rub the flour and sugar into the butter.

When you reach a sort of wet-beach-sand-like texture, tip the mixture carefully onto a clean work surface.

Bring the dough together into a ball. Be careful not to overwork the dough as this can make it tough and chewy rather than tender and crisp. No kneading, just gently bring it together.

Then you need to wrap and chill the dough for at least half an hour. I like to roll the ball into a neat cylinder, the circular ends the size of the biscuits I want. Then wrap it in a sheet of baking parchment on which I’ll cook the biscuits later. Chill in the fridge for at least half an hour to firm up the dough.

Then pre-heat the oven to 175C.

Unwrap the chilled shortbread dough onto a large baking sheet. If you wish, you can roll the cylinder of dough in some extra caster sugar (with added lemon zest or chopped rosemary, or crushed lavender flowers…) to create a sweet, crunchy ring around the biscuits.

Slice the dough into 12 round biscuits and bake them for 8 minutes or until just starting to take on some colour.

Allow the biscuits to completely cool and then store them in an airtight container. Eat within a week. I am loving them with a dollop of my kumquat curd but they are delicious plain too. And just perfect with a cup of Earl Grey tea.

Kumquat Curd

by Liz Child

Well here’s a tongue twister if ever I did see one. Kumquat Curd. Try say that ten times in a row without messing up! Have you ever eaten a kumquat? They have very sweet skins and very sour middles. I love using them for curd rather than lemons because all you need to do is remove the seeds, the rest of the fruit can be blended up and simmered into this perfect preserve. No need for zesting and juicing.

This stunning little curd is delightfully sweet and tangy and so simple to make. The perfect use for this tiny citrus. I love curd on toast as an alternative to jam but it also makes the best filling for a cake or topping for a tart. Curd is great sandwiched between shortbread biscuits or rolled up in pancakes. I think a sunny jar of kumquat curd makes the perfect Mother’s Day gift, especially if accompanied by a stack of pancakes in bed and a vase of daffodils!

How do you use curd? Let us know in the comments.

Liz x

Ingredients

Method

Rinse the kumquats then cut them into quarters and remove any seeds.

Blend the kumquats in a high speed blender until smooth.

Then add the sugar, coconut oil, corn flour, salt and oat milk and blend again into a smooth sauce.

Pour the sauce into a small pot and simmer, constantly stirring, until thick.

Taste the curd and add more milk or sugar if needed and simmer and stir again to cook in the added ingredients.

Pour into a clean jar whilst still hot. Put the lid on and allow it to cool. Keep in the refrigerator and use within a week.

Here’s a video on how to make classic shortbread biscuits using the perfect 1:2:3 sugar:butter:flour ratio. Perfect with a dollop of kumquat curd.