Oaty pancakes with cherry compote and plant-based quark
This weekend my girls asked me why I never made them pancakes for breakfast anymore. I had to admit that these past winter months I’d become so porridge-minded, I had spent the weekends cooking quinoa porridge, baked apple oatmeal, fruit-laden oatmeal bakes and variations on the three, completely forgetting about the existence of pancakes. But the girls are right: nothing spells indulgence like pancakes straight from the pan on a lazy weekend morning.
The good news is, you can achieve this indulgence factor with minimal effort and make it a healthy and nourishing start of the day. I whipped up this experimental batch of wholegrain pancakes with a quick and easy topping and I promise you: these will set your status as a caring parent/friend/host/lover. Or, you might just choose to keep them all to yourself and feel very good about yourself.
The pancakes are made with a homemade gluten free mix of oatmeal, wholegrain rice flour and buckwheat flour, but regular wholegrain wheat flour will work just as well, resulting in fluffy, full-flavoured patties. The linseeds in the picture stand ready to make a flax egg, which I used as an egg replacer here. Non-vegans can swap the linseeds for a regular egg, or choose to keep them in for extra fibre and a boost of healthy fatty acids.
I topped the stack with creamy soy quark and one of my favourite fruit toppings, a ready-in-minutes cherry compote. Being in the last week of winter I used frozen cherries, which are the perfect turn-to if you crave the sweet, deep cherry flavour. Simply add water and an optional spoonful of agave syrup, leave to simmer while preparing the pancakes and you’ll end up with a bowl of warm and syrupy goodness. You could add extra flavourings like lemon peel, lime zest, herbs or spices, but I chose to leave everything out here. Sometimes simple is just perfect.
Oaty pancakes with cherry compote and plant-based quark – makes 12
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. linseeds to make 1 flax egg, or 1 egg
- 250 g pitted cherries, fresh or frozen
- 70 g rolled oats
- 70 g wholegrain rice flour
- 60 g buckwheat flour
- 1½ tsp. baking powder
- 300 ml almond milk or cow’s milk
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 tbsp. agave syrup
- 300 ml unsweetened soy quark or coconut yogurt
Note: Oats and buckwheat are not always gluten free, due to contamination with wheat, rye or barley on the field or during the packaging process. If you’re intolerant, check the label and choose a certified gluten free brand.
Preparation
Start by making the flax egg. Crush the linseeds in a mortar and transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Mix in 2½ tbsp. of water and set aside. After about 10 minutes the seeds and water will have thickened to an egg-white-like consistency. Non-vegans can of course use a regular egg instead.
Tip the cherries into a small sauce pan and add a splash of water. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and leave to simmer while preparing the pancakes.
Put the rolled oats into a small food processor bowl and whizz to a powder. Mix with the rice flour, the buckwheat flour and the baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the flax egg. A little at a time, add the milk and stir until you have a smooth batter, then mix in the maple syrup.
Brush a frying pan with a little oil and heat over a medium heat. Pour three spoonfuls of batter into the pan and let them run into three little pancakes. Turn the pancakes when bubbles appear on the surface; then bake for another minute or so until golden brown on each side.
When the cherries are cooked and the liquid has reduced to syrup, stir through the agave syrup.
Enjoy the pancakes straight from the pan, topped with the cherry compote and a generous dollop of the soy quark.
