Ingredients

• 225g/8oz self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• 225ml/8fl oz full-fat milk
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 65g/2¼oz butter
• 50g/1¾oz melted and 15g/½oz for frying
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• for frying
• 250g/9oz plums
• stoned and quartered
• 75g/2¾oz caster sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 10g slice of fresh root ginger
• 250g/9oz plums
• halved and stoned
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 15g/½oz butter
• 50g/1¾oz soft
• light brown sugar
• 150ml/5fl oz double cream
• 2 tbsp amaretto

Directions

• For the pancakes
• mix the flour
• baking powder and salt together in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Beat the milk
• eggs and melted butter in a jug and pour into the well. Whisk until well combined. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5.
• For the compôte
• combine the ingredients in a saucepan and stir in 4 tablespoons water. Simmer
• stirring regularly
• over a medium heat
• for 4–5 minutes or until the plums are soft. Remove the cinnamon stick and ginger and set aside.
• For the baked plums
• place the plums
• cut-side up
• in a small ovenproof dish. Smear each plum half with a little of the vanilla paste and dot with the butter. Sprinkle with the sugar and bake for 20 minutes
• or until softened and lightly browned in places.
• For the amaretto cream
• place the cream and amaretto in a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form.
• To cook the pancakes
• heat a little of the butter with a little oil in a large
• non-stick frying pan over a medium–high heat. Add four large spoonfuls of the batter to the pan
• spaced well apart. Cook for about 2 minutes
• or until the batter is almost set on top and golden brown underneath.
• Flip the pancakes over and cook on the other side for a further 2 minutes
• or until golden. Keep the pancakes warm on a plate in a low oven and make two more batches in exactly the same way
• adding a little extra milk if the batter thickens too much to spread easily.
• Place the pancakes in small stacks on the warmed plates and top with the compote. Arrange a couple of baked plums alongside
• finish with a dollop of amaretto cream and serve immediately.