Buckwheat and spelt pancakes with chai poached pear and cardamom sauce

Hi friends! 

How did your weekend go? It was a beautiful weather here in Sydney and it's days like these when I feel so happy and fortunate to live in this stunning city. We walked down to the harbour, bought lunch from a near by cafe and sat on the grass to enjoy the views. People were out and about - families with children at the amusement park, artists lined up with their paintings of the famous Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House and people gathered around picnic blankets to spend the day with friends and family. What a perfect setting.

 

For some reason, making pancakes for a weekend breakfast always makes it seem a bit more special. Whether it is the little effort of standing next to the stove flipping the pancakes or enjoying a breakfast that is not your every day treat, they are always as welcoming and warming. What made these pancakes really something different, however, was the chai poached pear and cardamom sauce. Pears are in season now and when they are perfectly ripe I  love having them on their own, poached, in puddings or cakes or in a sauce like this one.

 

 Buckwheat and spelt pancakes with chai poached pear and cardamom sauce

(serves 2)

::Buckwheat and spelt pancakes::

 (makes 6 small pancakes)

300ml brown rice milk

50g buckwheat flour

60g whole spelt flour

1 free-range egg

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon olive oil + extra for frying

::Chai poached pear and cardamom sauce::

2-3 bags Chai tea

1 litre recently boiled water

2 ripe pears, peeled

1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 tablespoon manuka honey

1. Whisk the egg, salt and a tablespoon of oil with the brown rice milk (or milk of your choice). Sieve in the flour and whisk to make a smooth batter. Let sit for 30 minutes.

2. In a small saucepan, soak the tea bags in the recently boiled (hot, but not boiling) water. Let sit for 2-3 minutes, then add the pears. Soak the pears, covered, for 20 minutes.

3. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a small frying pan. Pour in some batter (approximately one sixth) and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden. Continue with the rest of the batter.

4. Remove the pears from the poaching liquid. Core and half the pears and place them in to a food processor. Add in vanilla, cardamom and honey and process until smooth. Add in a tablespoon or two of the poaching tea if the sauce seems too thick. 

5. Serve the pancakes warm with the pear and cardamom sauce.