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This is a really classy pancake dish that works just as well for breakfast on Valentine’s day as it dies on Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day). You will need the thicker American-style pancakes for this, though Scotch pancakes would also work.
Prep time 10 minutes/Cook time 20 minutes/Serves 4
Ingredients:
200g (1 2/3 cups) self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp chopped chives, plus more to serve
200ml (4/5 cup) milk
3 eggs
2 tbsp butter, melted, plus extra for frying
For the toppings:
4 eggs
4 slices thick-cut ham, halved
small handful of spinach leaves
For the Hollandaise Sauce:
3 egg yolks
1 tbsp lemon juice, (or more as desired for flavour)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
100g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter or ghee, or more for a thinner consistency, melted and hot
Method:
Whisk all of the pancake ingredients together with some seasoning until smooth.
Put a small knob of butter in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-low heat and cook until melted and foaming. Pour 2 tbsp of the pancake mixture into the pan and use the back of the spoon to shape it into a 8-9cm (3 ½ in) round disc. Depending on the size of your pan, you may be able to get 2 or 3 pancakes to cook at the same time. Cook for 2-3 mins on the first side, then flip over and cook for another 1 min on the reverse.
Heat your oven to its lowest setting. Stack up the cooked pancakes on a baking tray and keep them warm in the oven while you prepare the remainder. Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Crack each egg into a ramekin, then carefully lower into the water. Poach for 2-3 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny. Drain and repeat with the other eggs.
For the hollandaise sauce: Melt the butter in a microwave (make sure it’s covered as it will splatter) for about 1 minute, until it’s hot. Alternatively, you could carefully melt it on the stove (ensure it’s hot but not coloured). Note that the butter must be HOT and not just melted, or the sauce simply will not emulsify.
Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, dijon, salt and cayenne pepper to a high-powered blender and blend for 5 seconds until combined.
With the blender running on medium high, slowly stream the hot butter into the mixture until it’s emulsified.
To serve, stack the pancakes with a layer of hollandaise, the ham and spinach leaves in between them, then top with a poached egg. Spoon over more hollandaise and top with chives and black pepper.
