Cheese & ham pancake roll-ups

Contains pork – recipe is for non-Muslims only
Kids can help make these savoury pancakes, created as part of our Maisie Makes series. Top with creamy cheese sauce and bake in rolls

Prep:40 mins
Cook:50 mins

Serves 4
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 497
fat 29g
saturates 16g
carbs 34g
sugars 6g
fibre 1g
protein 25g
salt 1.9g

Ingredients

140g plain flour
2 eggs
25g butter, melted plus extra for buttering
350ml semi-skimmed milk
sunflower or vegetable oil, for frying
12 thin slices of ham (125g pack), torn
260g bag spinach, cooked - see tip, below
140g grated cheddar
100ml half-fat crème fraîche
3 spring onions, sliced (optional)
handful dried breadcrumbs

Tip

Cooking leaf spinach

The easiest way to cook leaf spinach is to put it in a large colander, then sit the colander in a sink and slowly pour over a kettle of hot water. Leave the spinach to wilt and cool. When it’s cooled, squeeze out the water well and chop it up.

Catering for fussy eaters

This is a blueprint recipe that you can vary to cater for fussy eaters. The additional ingredients you choose are as countless as pizza toppings, but here are some that work well: fried mushrooms; chopped cherry tomatoes; cooked leeks; smoked haddock, cooked and flaked; cooked chicken, shredded; tinned tuna or sweetcorn.

What kids can learn from this recipe

PAN-FRYING: This is a great recipe to build up confidence and to learn how to cook safely with frying pans. Two other plus points are that there are no ingredients that will splutter hot fat and the batter doesn’t need to be cooked at a very high temperature. FLIPPING: This is a dextrous task that requires practice and confidence. Explain and show your child that they need to get the spatula under the pancake, then flip it quickly over onto the other side.

Method

KIDS the writing in bold is for you ADULTS the rest is for you. FOR THE PANCAKES Tip in the flour, make a well, crack the eggs in dishes – whisk together. Tip the flour into a mixing bowl and make a well in the middle. Crack the eggs into separate dishes, remove any shell, and add to the flour. Tip in the butter, add a little milk and whisk until smooth.
Whisk in the rest of the milk. Whisk in the rest of the milk, in a steady stream, until you have a smooth batter that is similar to the consistency of double cream. Now carefully pour the batter into a jug.
Wipe the pan with oil and pour in the batter. Using kitchen paper, wipe the pan with a little oil. Place the pan on the stove and heat until hot. Remove from the heat and pour in enough batter to cover the base, swirling it around. Return to the heat for 3 mins until the underside is cooked.
Now flip the pancake. Take the pan off the heat and, using a spatula, loosen the pancake. Flip the pancake in the air (or simply turn it over with the spatula) and cook the other side. When cooked, put the pancake to one side, then repeat the procedure to cook 7 more pancakes.
FOR THE ROLL-UPS Butter a baking dish, then scatter ham and cheese over pancakes. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Butter a large baking dish. Now lay a pancake in front of you and scatter over some ham, spinach and cheese (remembering to save 25g of the cheese).
Roll up the pancakes and put them into the dish. Carefully roll up the pancakes and put them into the buttered dish. Repeat with all the pancakes.
Make the topping. In a small bowl, mix together the crème fraîche with the remaining cheese and spring onions, if you like.
Spread the topping, then sprinkle over the breadcrumbs. Spread the topping over the pancakes, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake for about 30 mins until bubbling and golden. Serve with a salad or veg.