Brûlée Japanese Pancakes

Wiggly, jiggly pancakes with a delicious melted sugar crust. These are absolutely delicious and, wish a little bit of practise, will become your go to pancake recipe.

Done in 1 hour

Serves 2

Dish by Hugh Woodward

Ingredients

What you'll need:

4large egg whites

1/2 tsplemon juice

1/2 tspflaked salt

6 tbspcaster sugar

2 egg yolks

1 tspbaking powder

2 tspvanilla extract

6 tbspplain flour

60mlwhole milk

50mlvegetable oil

to servewhipped cream, maple syrup, berries

Japanese pancakes use a soufflé technique to get lighter-than-air results. We absolutely love them and hope you will too!

Method

Use an electric whisk to whisk the egg whites, lemon juice and flaked salt until foamy. Slowly add 5 tbsp of the caster sugar until you have a glossy, pillowy meringue mixture just under the stiff peak stage. Set aside briefly.

Meanwhile, whisk together (by hand) the egg yolks, the remaining 1 tbsp of sugar, baking powder, vanilla extract, plain flour and whole milk.

Fold this, tenderly, 1/3 at a time, into the egg whites.

Grease two round cookie cutters around 3 inches in diameter and place them on a greased non stick frying pan over a very, very low heat. Fill half way with batter. Place a lid on top and cook for 6 minutes - the batter will rise to the top and be just set.

Very carefully flip them over and cook, with the lid on again, for further 3 minutes.

Sprinkle the tops with caster sugar and use a blow torch to melt the sugar, being careful not to burn the pancakes. Serve with whipped cream, maple syrup and berries.

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Hugh Woodward

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Hugh's culinary life began aged 14 when he cooked spaghetti hoop burritos to impress girls. Since then his colourful career has taken him to performing in Skegness, making cheese in Peckham, running a wine bar on Columbia Road and reluctantly working in a (briefly) Michelin Starred restaurant. He likes fish, things cooked on charcoal, cheap dinners and London's rich cultural tapestry of food shops. When he's not cooking or eating he can be found mudlarking by the river Thames, buying bits in flea markets and hanging out with his cat Keith.