Honey and Vanilla Pancakes

A long weekend at our place usually means a sleep in and late breakfast together on the holiday Monday, and today was no different. Pancakes are always a favourite to cook when it is a slow morning without schedule. This recipe originated on a rainy morning in Hobart, where we were holidaying for a few days. There was abundant produce available, including delicious local honey, stoneground spelt flour, a succulent selection of well-priced berries and some very tasty wood smoked bacon. The recipe is included in the breakfast chapter of my new cookbook Our Delicious Adventure - Recipes and Stories of Food and Travel. 
I hope you enjoy x j

HONEY AND VANILLA PANCAKES
On the only rainy day we had of our few days in Hobart, I cooked these sweet pancakes. Served for breakfast with a berry compote and smoked bacon, it was just the sustenance we needed to spend the rest of the day playing poker together in our pyjamas!

makes 12 pancakes
what you need
6 rashes smoked bacon
2 cups (260g) white spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (250ml) milk
½ cup (125ml) natural yoghurt
1/3 cup (80ml) honey
1 tbsp vanilla paste
2 tbsp butter, melted
4 tbsp coconut oil, for cooking
to serve:
1 cup berry compote (see below)
1 cup (250ml) natural yoghurt
½ cup (125ml) pure maple syrup
what you do
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced) and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Place the bacon rashes onto the prepared tray and cook in the oven for 15 minutes.
2. Sift the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre, and add the eggs, milk, yoghurt, honey, vanilla and butter. Whisk to make a smooth batter.
3. Lightly grease a large frying pan with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, and heat over medium heat. Drop ¼ cupfuls of batter into the pan, spreading out to 10cm rounds. Cook for 2 minutes, then turn over and cook for further 1 minute, until golden brown. Add more coconut oil to pan as required.
4. Serve the warm pancakes with the bacon, berry compote, natural yoghurt and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Note: You will probably only be able to cook 3-4 pancakes at a time, depending on the size of your pan. Either serve in shifts, or keep warm on an oven tray in a very low oven, covered loosely with foil, while you cook the rest.
V option: Omit bacon.
GF option: Many people who have wheat allergies can tolerate spelt flour, use your own discretion. Use gluten-free baking powder.

honey is a thick sweet liquid and the accomplishment of bees using the nectar from flowers. Honey is gathered from wild bee colonies or domesticated beehives. Flavours vary depending on the nectar source. Once the honeycomb is removed from the hive, the honey is then extracted and filtered to remove beeswax and other debris. Known for its medicinal properties when raw, unfiltered honey can be used orally to treat gastric complaints, and topically for ulcers, burns and wounds.

BERRY COMPOTE
This is a simple way to use up a glut of seasonal fruit. You could use one type of fruit or a mix of berries, apricots, plums, apples or pears. Served warm or cold, it is great for breakfast as an accompaniment to pancakes, yoghurt or your favourite muesli, or for dessert with ice cream.

makes 1 cup
V GF
what you need
2 cups (250g) berries,
(fresh or frozen depending on season)
¼ cup (45g) rapadura sugar
1 cinnamon stick
½ vanilla bean, split
what you do
1. Place the berries into a small saucepan with the sugar, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean and ¼ cup (60ml) water. Bring to the boil, stir, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and syrup thickens.
2. Remove from heat and serve warm, or refrigerate and serve cold.

Note: Rapadura sugar is a whole sugar that undergoes minimal processing. This allows it to retain a higher nutrient content than white sugar, which when refined to create crystals loses much of its nutrients. Rapadura sugar is simply the product left behind after evaporating the water from the sugar cane juice and has a unique, caramel flavour. Substitute the same quantity of rapadura sugar for regular sugar in any recipe. It is available from health food shops, and is usually an organic product.
When cooking fruits such as apricots, plums, apples or pears increase the simmering time to 20 minutes.
Storage: Berry compote will keep in the fridge for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

compote is French for "mixture" and refers to fruit cooked or stewed in a sugar syrup. Commonly served as a dessert, whole fruits or their pieces are cooked in water with spices and sugar. The syrup may be seasoned with lemon or orange peel, vanilla, cinnamon sticks/ ground cinnamon, dried fruit or cloves. Serve either warm or cold.