Breakfast
Spiced poached rhubarb, buckwheat drop scones & yoghurt
A perfect breakfast or brunch. Buckwheat flour has more depth and flavour than conventional flour as well as being gluten free. It is a fitting partner to rhubarb as they are both members of the same plant family. An older cousin to the fluffy American pancake, drop scones were traditionally made straight on a hot griddle. If you have an Aga, you could turn them out on the simmering plate in the same way – a frying pan works just as well though. They’re small, buttery and light, and the nutty flavour of the buckwheat greatly adds to their rather rustic charm.
Cook's notes
Rhubarb is always sharp and astringent when raw, so is almost always cooked down with some sugar to temper it. How much sugar can be up to you, but we’d suggest that the sharpness is all part of its charm, so you should use a modest amount; just enough to take the edge off. Rhubarb is also very easy to overcook and can lose its shape quickly. This is fine if you want some stewed rhubarb to dollop on your breakfast, but not if you want to keep shapely, photogenic pieces. The trick is to cook it gently then remove it from the heat just before it’s tender, letting the declining heat of the pan finish it to perfection.
Ingredients
For the rhubarb:
- 300g rhubarb
- 1 orange
- 3 tbsp light brown sugar, plus more to taste
- small cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 8 cardamom pods, split open
For the drop scones:
- 100ml milk
- 3 tbsp Greek yoghurt
- 1 egg
- 100g buckwheat flour
- 1½ tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- unsalted butter, for cooking
To serve:
- 300ml Greek yoghurt
- chopped pistachios or toasted flaked almonds
Method
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Step 1
Trim the rhubarb and cut it into 3cm pieces. Split any wide pieces in half, lengthways, so that all the pieces are a roughly even size. Pull half the zest from the orange into long strips with a potato peeler. Juice the orange too.
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Step 2
Place the zest, juice and sugar into a large, wide-based saucepan. Add the cinnamon, star anise, cardamom pods and rhubarb, spreading them out so you have an even covering in the pan. Cover and bring to a very gentle simmer. Cook gently for 5-6 minutes, until the rhubarb is starting to soften but still holds its shape. Remove from the heat and leave it to cool with the lid on. When cool the rhubarb should be tender but still holding its shape. If it is still a little undercooked, pop it back on the heat for a few minutes to nudge it over the line. If the rhubarb is a bit too sharp for your taste, you can always add a little more sugar. Leave to one side.
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Step 3
To make the pancakes, whisk the milk, yoghurt and egg together in a mixing bowl. Add the buckwheat flour, sugar, baking powder, and a small pinch of salt to the bowl. Whisk together until you have a thick, smooth batter. Leave to sit for 10 minutes, or until you see small bubbles beginning to appear.
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Step 4
Heat a knob of butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. When it has started to foam, add tablespoonfuls of batter into the pan. They should settle into rough circles; you should get about 6 in the pan comfortably. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the underside is golden and bubbles are appearing on the surface, before flipping and cooking the other side. Keep warm to one side and repeat to use up the rest of the batter.
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Step 5
Serve 3 pancakes per person topped with a dollop of yoghurt, a tumble of rhubarb and a drizzle of the cooking liquid. Finish with the chopped nuts and eat immediately.