My beloved grandmother is now 92 years old and this is her favourite dish in the whole wide world. At least once a week, she has pancakes with strawberry jam for dinner. In my little family we enjoy pancakes at least once a week too, with a large spoon of jam spread over the top, and sometimes a scoop of vanilla ice cream or melted Nutella as well – just delicious and so hyggeligt.
SERVES 6
FOR THE PANCAKES
500g (plain flour
2 eggs
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp raw cane sugar
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
1 tsp ground cardamom
800ml milk
butter, for frying
FOR THE STRAWBERRY JAM
500g strawberries, quartered
200g raw cane sugar
50ml water
1 tsp powdered gelatine
TO SERVE
raw cane sugar, to sprinkle
- Ideally start making the strawberry jam the day before you want to eat it as this is the best way to get the really intense flavour of the strawberries.
- Place the strawberries in a large saucepan with the sugar and leave to sit overnight. The next day, add the measured water and over a medium–high heat bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the gelatine and stir well, then remove from the heat. You can either serve as a chunky jam, or my children love the mixture blended to make a smooth jam.
- When you are ready to eat, put all the pancake ingredients, except the butter for frying, into a large bowl and mix well until smooth.
- Melt a little butter in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Pour in enough batter mixture to just cover two-thirds of the pan. Move the pan around in a swirling motion so the mixture thinly fills the entire pan.
- Cook each pancake for about 2 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Place on a plate and wrap in foil to keep warm while you make the rest of the pancakes. Serve the pancakes with the strawberry jam, sugar to sprinkle, and ice cream if you wish.
From Cook Yourself Happy: The Danish Way by Caroline Fleming. Photographs by Lisa Linder. Published by Jacqui Small, £25. Follow Caroline on her Instagram @carolineflemingofficial