Pear pancakes with chocolate sauce

Method
Prep:1hr15min  ›  Cook:10min  ›  Ready in:1hr25min 

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas mark 6). Place the batter ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Alternatively, whisk together, adding the milk gradually. Pour into a jug and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
2. Heat a 15 cm (6 in) pancake or frying pan and add a few drops of oil. Pour in 1 tbsp of the batter and tilt the pan to coat the bottom evenly. Cook until the underside of the pancake is brown, then turn it over and cook for 10 seconds on the other side. Slide the pancake out onto a plate. Repeat to make 12 pancakes in all, turning each one out onto the plate, and separating with greaseproof paper. Set aside.
3. To make the filling, put the fromage frais, almonds, sugar and almond extract in a bowl and mix well. Peel, quarter and core the pears. Chop 4 into small dice; cut the remaining pear into neat slices and sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent discoloration.
4. Spoon 1 tbsp of the almond mixture onto a quarter area of each pancake and top with a spoonful of diced pear. Fold over each pancake into quarters to make a triangle, enclosing the filling. Place on a greased baking tray, sprinkle generously with icing sugar and bake for 8–10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, make the chocolate sauce. Put the chocolate, sugar and 5 tbsp water in a saucepan and heat very gently until the chocolate has melted and the sugar dissolved. Simmer for 5 minutes or until smooth.
6. Serve the pancakes on individual plates, drizzled with the chocolate sauce. Arrange the reserved pear slices next to the pancakes and serve.

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Some more ideas

For raspberry pancakes, use 225 g (8 oz) raspberries instead of the pears. Serve with the chocolate sauce or with a berry coulis flavoured with kirsch. * Replace the pears with 1 ripe mango, cut into small slices, and the pulp from 2 passion fruit. Instead of the chocolate sauce, use a mango coulis. Varied this way, the dessert will be lower in fat and will provide more of those important antioxidant vitamins, A and C.

Plus points

Milk and dairy products like fromage frais are good sources of calcium, protein and vitamin B2. Full-fat products also contain vitamins A and D, but these are removed along with the fat in reduced-fat varieties.

Each serving provides

B12, E * B1, B2, C, niacin, calcium, iron