BAKED PANCAKE W/ VANILLA CUSTARD AND APPLE COMPOTE

Renditions of this pancake have been well loved on the Hayes Common menu since its opening. This autumnal version will be a firm family brunch favourite for sure.

SERVES 4

FOR THE PANCAKE

6 eggs

1¼ cups flour

¾ cup milk

1 tsp vanilla paste or essence

FOR THE VANILLA CUSTARD

2 egg yolks

2 tbsp caster sugar

2½ tsp cornflour

1 tsp vanilla paste or extract

1 cup milk

FOR THE APPLE COMPOTE

¾ cup caster sugar

4 green apples, peeled and cubed (about 500g)

2 cinnamon quills

3 star anise

3 cloves

TO SERVE

Mascarpone

Edible flowers

Icing sugar

For the pancake, lightly whisk the eggs to break them up slightly, then whisk in the flour, milk and vanilla until you have a smooth batter. For the custard, beat the yolks, sugar, cornflour and vanilla together until thick and pale.

In the meantime, heat the milk gently in a small pot until almost boiling. Pour about a third of the milk into the yolk/sugar mix and whisk to combine. Whisk in the rest of the milk, then pour the mix back into the pot.

Whisk constantly over a medium-low heat until the mixture begins to thicken. Once the custard coats the back of a spoon, remove from the heat and place into a clean bowl until ready to use. If not using immediately, cover the custard directly with cling film or baking paper to stop a skin forming.

For the apple compote, add the sugar, apples and spices to a pot. Cover and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Remove the lid once simmering and cook until the apple is soft and syrupy, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t catch and burn. Remove the spices and set the apples in the fridge to cool.

To cook the pancake, pre-heat oven to 230°C. Bring a non-stick pan to almost smoking temperature, spray with oil and pour in enough pancake batter to fill the bottom of the pan. Removing the pan from the heat, slowly roll the pancake batter around the pan, allowing it to come up the sides of the pan to reach the edges all around, coating as evenly as possible. Place in your pre-heated oven for 3–4 minutes. (The bottom of the pancake is thickest and will take the longest to cook. Once there are no raw spots on the bottom, the pancake is cooked.)

To serve the pancake, first spoon vanilla custard on the base and spread evenly, then dot a few spoonful’s of mascarpone cheese on top. Lastly spoon the apple compote over, ensuring you drizzle some of the spiced apple syrup on too. Dust with icing sugar and garnish with edible flowers.