Valentines Day Pancakes From Yorkshire Pudding Recipe

 Being a Yorkshire lass I've used a Yorkshire pudding recipe many times over the years, but that's been mostly to make them the traditional way and to be eaten with the Sunday roast whether it be beef, pork, lamb, chicken or turkey. Of course they are associated with roast beef mainly but they taste just as good with other types of roast dinners and it's surprising how flexible they can be.

Originally they were dished up as a starter to fill you up before the main course so that you didn't want as much expensive meat. Nowadays they are usually part of the main course alongside meat, potatoes, vegetables and gravy, but they have been known to appear as a dessert too!

One of my favourites is Toad in the Hole. Sausages baked in Yorkshire pudding batter mix and served with vegetables and a thick, tasty onion gravy. Or another variation of that can be found in many a cafe or pub dining area and that's giant Yorkshires filled with sausages and onion gravy. Or giant Yorkshires filled with roast beef, onions and gravy, though I'm sure that other types of meat would be just as good, depending upon your tastes.

Another variation came as a total shock to me. There I was in a Chinese restaurant in Castleford checking out the buffet and next to the spring rolls and wontons I saw a strange sight of small Yorkshire puddings filled with a chicken and vegetable sauce. Of course I had to try them but to be honest I found them a bit bland and wondered if a curry sauce would have excited the taste buds a bit more.

I've heard that they can be found in restaurants, but I've only ever found them in M & S. That is steak and mushroom baked in a pie made with the Yorkshire pudding batter mix. They are gorgeous and I would love to be able to make them but I can't figure out how to bake them with a top on and still get them crispy on the outside.

However, I'm a dab hand with the normal uses and experimenting with Yorkshire pudding desserts has been interesting and tasty. Mini Yorkshires baked in tart or muffin tins served cold with mandarin oranges inside them and topped with a dollop of lemon ice cream is delicious. Raspberries and either chocolate sauce or ice cream are an alternative filling, or kiwi fruit, strawberries and fresh cream. Almost anything goes really.

For Valentines day you can round your meal off with heart shaped pancakes made with Yorkshire pudding batter which also happens to be the same recipe as pancake batter mix.

Valentines Pancakes Recipe

Ingredients:

* Yorkshire pudding batter or pancake mix

* red food coloring

* Sliced fresh fruit including melon, passion fruit, strawberries and banana

* Lemon flavoured ice cream or squirty cream for the more adventurous!

Directions:

Mix a couple of drops of red colouring into your favorite Yorkshire pudding/pancake batter recipe, then spoon the pink batter into a heated skillet to form a heart shape. This method can also be used to form other fun shapes.

When cooked cool and top with slices of mixed fresh fruit and lemon ice cream. To make it more festive you can top with chocolate chips or cherries.

This is a nice light dessert to end a Valentines day or any other romantic meal.