Featuring our Le Creuset Signature Cast Iron Frying Pan 26cm- Meringue
Makes 8-10
The season for plums and damsons is relatively short-lived, and for me, marks a turning point in my cookery year. Simmering damsons for jam or making a spiced, honeyed plum cake reminds me that Summer is inevitably turning gently into Autumn. It’s a time for warmer, kinder cooking, it’s a season that seems to always bring an air of calm to my kitchen.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
400g plums or damsons
1 fresh vanilla pod
2 tablespoons runny honey, plus extra to taste
1 star anise
2 bay leaves
175g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ orange, finely grated zest
40g golden caster sugar
A pinch of fine sea salt
1 egg
100ml milk
1 tablespoon runny honey, plus extra to serve
1 large knob of butter, plus extra to serve
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METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C Fan/ Gas Mark 6
- Halve the plums and remove the stones. If they are stubborn, use the tip of the knife to tease them out.
- Place the plum halves into a small roasting dish with 2 tablespoons of water. Split the vanilla pod, scrape out the black seeds and add these to the plums. Tumble the plums around the dish to disperse the vanilla.
- Split the pod halves again and add these to the plums too. Trickle over the runny honey then roughly bash the star anise and add this to the plums along with the bay leaves.
- Place the dish in the preheated oven and cook uncovered for about 20 minutes or until the plums are beginning to collapse and are sweet and fragrant.
- To make the batter, place the flour into a large mixing bowl with the baking powder, orange zest, sugar and salt. Crack in the egg, then add the milk and honey. Use a whisk to combine fully.
- Melt the butter on the non-stick pan over a medium heat. Then, pour most of the bubbling butter into the drop batter and stir it through to combine thoroughly.
- One by one, add 4 generous tablespoons of batter to the pan to make four individual pools of batter. Cook them for 1-2 minutes, until the undersides are golden, then use a small spatula to flip each pancake over and cook the other side for 1-2 minutes until that side is golden too.
- Place the cooked pancakes onto a plate or board while you cook the remaining batter.
- Serve warm with heaped spoons of the vanilla-roasted plums and an extra trickle of runny honey for good measure. These are also great with a serving of rich natural yoghurt on the side.
Cook’s Notes
- You’ll know it’s time to turn your pancakes when you notice tiny little bubbles appearing on the surface of each.
- You can double the recipe if you’re cooking for a crowd, but if it’s for one, simply cover any batter you don’t use and place it in the fridge. It’ll keep for a couple of days.
