Recipes

Chosen from Delia’s How to Cheat at Cooking, Delia says “These were Austrian emperor Franz Josef’s favourite pancakes – and delightful they are too. He ate them with sultanas, but i think dried cherries are even better.”

Serves 4

    6 ready-made thin pancakes (not more than 20cm in diameter)
    2 tbsp dark rum
    110g dried cherries
    50g unsalted butter
    110g ready-toasted flaked almonds
    2 tbsp unrefined icing sugar
    1 tsp ground cinnamon

Begin by warming the rum in a small pan, then add the dried cherries. Remove the pan from the heat and leave on one side for about 15 minutes for the cherries to soften and plump up. Meanwhile, stack the pancakes and, using a sharp knife, cut them all together into strips lengthways and then across so you end up with small squares. Next preheat the grill to its highest setting.

Now melt the butter in a large frying pan and when it starts to foam, add the pieces of pancake and the cherry-and-rum mixture, followed by the almonds. Cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, tossing and turning the mixture till it’s hot and golden.

Then, sift the icing sugar and cinnamon over the top. Place under the grill for a few minutes until the sugar starts to caramelise and serve immediately with chilled pouring cream, crème fraiche or vanilla ice cream.