Cheese pancakes recipe

These cheese pancakes make a delicious light lunch or dinner - or an ideal main course on Shrove Tuesday.

If you like your pancakes savoury, these are an absolute delight. Created by MasterChef winner Mat Follas, they have a triple helping of cheese. There are two kinds in the sauce, plus extra included in the actual pancake batter. We've used cheddar and Parmesan, but you can use anything you have to hand that will melt. Blue cheese is particularly good with broccoli if you're a fan. As with our classic pancake recipe, these are best eaten straight after they are cooked - but they're so quick and easy to make, that's not really a problem.

Ingredients

• 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
• 2 eggs
• 50g cheddar cheese, finely grated
• 1½ tbsp plain flour
• Pinch of salt
• 300ml milk
• Butter or oil, for frying

For the cheese sauce:

• 50g grated cheddar cheese, grated
• 50g Parmesan cheese, grated
• 150ml double cream
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. First make the cheese sauce. Gently heat the double cream in a pan. Start whisking, then gradually add the two cheeses and salt. Continue mixing until the cheese has melted and you have a thick and creamy sauce.
2. Cook the broccoli florets for 2 minutes in boiling water, then blanche in bowl of cold water to halt the cooking process. This will preserve the vivid colour. Drain and set aside.
3. Now make the pancakes. In a bowl, mix the eggs, cheese, flour and salt to form a paste. Slowly add the milk, mixing continuously until it becomes the consistency of paint.
4. Melt the butter or heat the oil in a larger frying pan. Pour a ladleful of the batter in. Lift the pan, moving the mixture so that it evenly coats the base, forming a thin pancake. After approx two minutes the pancake should be loose. Tease the edges away from the sides and then, with a rolling motion, toss the pancake and catch it again, cooking the other side for approx one minute.
5. To finish, place the pancake on a plate. Put the broccoli (3-4 florets per pancake) and the cheese sauce on one half of the pancake. Fold the other half over the top and drizzle with a little more cheese sauce.

Top tips for making cheese pancakes

Do you ever find your first pancake doesn't turn out well? Don't worry, it's not just you. The first one will ‘season’ the pan, and you should find they’re much easier from then on.

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