| DIFFICULTY Easy | PREP TIME 10 minutes | COOK TIME 10 minutes | MAKES 16 |

These pancakes are delicately flavoured with cranberries and to serve with them a quickly made cranberry and orange sauce. Topped with natural yogurt or crème fraîche, they will disappear as fast as you can cook them.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PANCAKES

• 225g (2 scant cups) plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 142ml pot soured cream
• 2 medium eggs
• 125ml (1/2 cup) semi-skimmed milk
• 350g jar cranberry sauce
• 45g (3 tablespoons) butter, melted and cooled
• Vegetable oil for frying

FOR THE SAUCE

• Finely grated zest of 1 medium orange
• 2 tablespoons orange juice

TO SERVE

• 200g crème fraîche or plain yogurt
• Icing sugar

METHOD

1. Sift all the dry ingredients for the batter into a bowl. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre of the ingredients.
2. In a jug beat together the soured cream, eggs, milk and cooled butter. Beat this into the dry ingredients until the consistency is smooth and thick. Stir in half of the jar of cranberry sauce mixing it just until it is evenly incorporated. If possible (but not vital) leave the mixture to stand for 30 minutes.
3. Put the remaining cranberry sauce into a saucepan with the orange zest and juice, heat gently, stirring, until it is heated through and smooth. Alternatively, heat in a microwaveable bowl, covered with pierced cling wrap, for 1 minute on full power then stir and repeat the heating process for 30 seconds.
4. To cook the pancakes, heat one tablespoon of the vegetable oil in the frying pan over a medium setting. When the oil is hot, wipe out the excess using kitchen paper towels.
5. Spoon about 3 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of batter into the pan and cook until bubbles break through the top surface. Flip the pancake over and cook the other side until it is pale golden in colour. Keep warm on a plate loosely covered in aluminium foil while the remaining pancakes are cooked. Lightly oil the pan between pancakes
6. Serve each pancake with a little of the cranberry sauce and a spoonful of plain yogurt or crème fraîche.