We awoke to a grumpy sky of grey fog and drizzle, pulled on our wellies and coats over our pyjamas, and headed out into the feathery rain. The ground was wet and muddy, and there was a bitter chill in the air, but a closer look at the garden revealed some cheering signs of spring on the way. Green shoots of daffodils, hyacinths and alliums are pushing up a good few inches above the soil. Hellebore leaves and their blackened purple flowers have started to appear, and pale yellow primroses, that have self-seeded themselves all over the garden, are already in flower. There were a couple of goose eggs to collect too.
The geese, who are supposed to lay between February and May, have instead been doing so fairly prolifically since September, much to our amazement. So, we have been making batches of goose egg lemon curd to use up the surplus. The recipe we use is from the wonderful Fern Verrow cookbook. It is the best lemon curd we have ever tasted. We make it with a couple of our freshest goose eggs, organic butter and lemons, and golden granulated sugar.
Back inside, there was a vibrant bunch of fresh, organic coriander in the fridge, courtesy of the local farm shop and their polytunnel. The classic flavour combination of coriander and lemon works really well in sweet as well as savoury dishes. So, we decided to make use of it in some breakfast pancakes alongside a few spoonfuls of the home made lemon curd. A fresh, zingy start to the day.
We’ve taken to using goose eggs in pancake mixes because the huge yolks add richness and turn the batter a wonderful orangey colour. We like to serve these pancakes on a wooden board, with a pot of lemon curd on the side and a scattering of primrose flowers and coriander over the top. The edible primroses add beauty rather than flavour, so they aren’t essential here, but they do look lovely.
Coriander Pancakes with Lemon Curd and Primroses
Makes up to 20 pancakes
Ingredients
- 150 g plain white flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp plain yoghurt
- 75 ml whole milk
- 50 g fresh coriander
- 1 goose egg (or two large chicken eggs), lightly beaten
- Salted butter, for frying
- A little handful of freshly picked primrose flowers to serve
- Lemon curd (ideally homemade), to serve
Instructions
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Sift the flour with the baking powder into a large mixing bowl.
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Blitz the coriander (leaves and stalks), milk and yoghurt together in a blender for a few seconds, until you have a light green purée, flecked with tiny spots of dark green.
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Lightly beat the goose egg and gently whisk it into the flour mixture along with the coriander yoghurt.
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To cook the pancakes, melt a small knob of butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. For each pancake add 1 tablespoon of batter to the pan and cook for around minute on each side until cooked through. We used crumpet rings for the ones in the photo, which helped them keep a circular shape, but they also cook just fine in free-form.
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Serve warm, spread with a dollop of lemon curd, an edible primrose and a little extra coriander if you wish on top.
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