Pancakes with poached egg, ham and easy hollandaise

1. 1

   Put the flour, baking powder, eggs, salt, the 225ml/8fl oz milk and the yoghurt in a large bowl and whisk together with an electric whisk until smooth. Stir in the parsley and lots of black pepper.

2. 2

   Pour a little of the oil into a large frying pan set over a medium-high heat. Wipe around the base of the pan with kitchen paper to lightly grease. Take care as it will be extremely hot.

3. 3

   Drop four ladlesful of the pancake mixture into the frying pan, spacing well apart. Each one should spread slowly to be around 9cm/3½in in diameter. Cook for 2 minutes, or until the pancakes rise, bubbles appear and their surface appears dry at the edges. Flip over with a palette knife and cook on the other side for a further 1½-2 minutes until pale golden-brown.

4. 4

   Transfer the cooked pancakes to a warmed plate, cover with foil and a dry tea towel to help retain the heat. Cook the remaining four pancakes in exactly the same way, greasing the pan with a little oil between each batch. If the pancake mixture begins to get too thick to pour, simply whisk in a little extra milk.

5. 5

   For the hollandaise sauce, while the pancakes are cooking, fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a very gentle simmer. Put the vinegar, mustard and egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk with an electric whisk until very pale and creamy.

6. 6

   Melt the butter in a small pan over a low heat until frothy. Gradually add the hot butter to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly until the sauce is thick and glossy. Season with salt and pepper.

7. 7

   For the poached egg and ham, break the whole eggs into the pan of simmering water, one at a time. Cook for 2½-3 minutes, or until the whites are set and the yolks remain runny.

8. 8

   Divide the pancakes between four warmed plates. Top with folded slices of ham. Lift the eggs out of the water with a slotted spoon and place on top of the ham. Pour over the hollandaise sauce, season with black pepper, garnish with snipped chives if you like, and serve.

1 serving ≈ 250 g

Nutrition values are estimates. - means data is unavailable.