Auguri per il terzo mese di matrimonio

Congratulations Valerie & Mike - it's been 3 months. Where does the time go? Well in your case Val, going on a honeymoon, attending Marketa's wedding in Prague, having the in-laws over, opening wedding presents, enjoying the terrific Belgian summer and baking and lots of it. I thought I'd send you a simple yet non-traditional recipe to add to your collection and something to try while you still have those gorgeous berries available in Europe and you're still in the honeymoon phase of lovingly preparing breakfast in bed for your man - hehe!!!




Buckwheat pancakes with mixed berries

Ingredients

1/2 cup of self-raising flour
1/2 cup of buckwheat flour
1 tablespoon of caster sugar
1 1/4 cups of buttermilk
1 egg
250 g strawberries hulled & quartered
150 g of raspberries or blueberries
1 tablespoon of icing sugar

Maple syrup or low fat natural yoghurt to serve

Method

Sift the self raising flour into a bowl, then stir in the buckwheat flour followed by the sugar, and make a well in the centre.

Whisk the buttermilk and egg together in a jug. Pour into the dry ingredients, then mix slowly, drawing in the flour to make a smooth batter. Cover and allow to stand for 30 minutes which is really important.

In another bowl, combine the berries and icing sugar and set aside.

Heat a non-stick frying pan to medium heat (large enough to cook two pancakes). If you have some heart forms, use those to surprise your husband.

Pour 1/4 cup of batter into pan and cook until golden brown (usually until bubbles form on the surface. You can cook the entire batch of pancakes and keep them warm in the oven or do them fresh to plate whichever you prefer.

A little more info on Buckwheat - it's a good source of protein as well as magnesium and iron. It's a handy flour to use if you wish to use less wheat as it's free of gluten and has a low GI.