Super foods recipe: red berry pancakes

Warm fruity pancakes make a feast for any meal, be it brunch or weekday family desserts. Use plenty of rich red berries, and finish with a little Greek yogurt.

Red currants are a versatile fruit, often used to make jelly, that is rich in nutrients and high in health-promoting fibre. Red currants also contain potassium, which helps to regulate blood pressure, and vitamin C for healthy bones, teeth and gums.

Preparation: 15 minutes

Cooking: 8 minutes

Serves 4

• 75 g (2/3 c) self-raising flour
• 5 g (1 tsp) sugar
• 1 egg
• 80 ml (1/3 c) low-fat (1%) milk
• 115 g (1/2 c) red currants
• 12 strawberries
• 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 5 to 10 g (2 to 3 tsp) superfine sugar
• 115 g (1/2 c) low-fat Greek yogurt

1. Sift the flour into a bowl and stir in the sugar. Beat in the egg and a little of the milk to form a thick paste. Gradually add the rest of the milk, beating to remove any lumps until it forms a smooth, thick batter. Pull the stems off the red currants, if necessary, and stir the berries into the batter. Hull and halve the strawberries.
2. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and melt half the butter. Use shaped molds (see Cook's tips) to make the pancakes or cook 25 millilitres (four heaping teaspoonfuls) of batter, spaced well apart, for two minutes, or until they are firm, set and golden underneath.
3. Flip and cook for another minute, turning the heat down if the pancakes begin to burn. Transfer the pancakes to a dish and keep warm. Carefully wipe any berry juice from the pan with a paper towel, add the remaining butter and cook four more pancakes using the rest of the batter. Transfer the pancakes to the dish and keep warm.
4. Add the strawberries to the hot pan for 30 seconds to warm through. Transfer the pancakes to four plates, top with the strawberries, some of the superfine sugar and serve with Greek yogurt.

• Try fresh or frozen black currants, gooseberries, raspberries or blueberries instead of red currants.
• Seasonal raspberries, blackberries or pitted cherries make very tasty alternatives to strawberries.
• For a lactose-free dessert, make the batter with 80 millilitres (1/3 cup) unsweetened fruit juice, such as cranberry, apple or orange juice, instead of milk.

• To create shaped pancakes, place four heatproof molds in the frying pan, carefully spoon the batter into each mold and let cook until firm. Carefully remove the molds and flip the pancakes to cook the other side.
• Currants are small, tart berries that can be sold fresh, frozen or dried. Dried currants resemble small raisins, and won't work well in this recipe. If you can't find fresh or frozen currants, substitute other small fresh or frozen berries such as gooseberries, raspberries or blueberries.
• Self-raising flour recipe: for every 250 g (one cup) self-raising flour, blend one millilitre (1/4 teaspoon) salt and six millilitres (1 1/4 teaspoons) baking powder with 250 millilitres (one cup) all-purpose flour.
• To make your own superfine sugar, simply spin granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.

Nutritional information: 265 calories • 8 grams fat • 5 grams saturated fat • 39 grams carbohydrates • 9 grams protein • 3 grams fibre.