I love making pancakes, particularly ricotta pancakes.

A much as I've become a super fan of the thick, fluffy American pancakes (both the commercial IHOP and the incredibly cute Blue Cottage on Hope Street are particular favs) I'm still also true to my roots, and often make the very flat, crepe style we're more used to in the UK.

My favourite accompaniment is always lemon. Made from super simple, store cupboard ingredients, pancakes are something I whip up when ever I fancy something sweet but didn't have the forethought to get anything in.

Distaster struck recently when I whipped up a batch of post dinner-I-need-something-sweet pancakes and I realised I was lemon-less. Now I know this is going to sound very Nigella Lawson 'I just prepared a Sunday Roast before 7am whilst hand churning ice cream and now i'll pack individual lunches for my family whilst I'm dressed in silk pyjamas', but the only lemony-ness I could find in the house was a can of San Pelligrino Limonta. I know.

Ingredients:
1 can of San Pelligrino Limonata
1.5 cups white sugar

To make any sort of simple syrup the ratio of liquid to sugar is about 1:1. A can of soda is about 1 and a half cups so match this with sugar. The soda will already contain sugar so the resulting syrup will be very, VERY high in sugar. Not quite as healthy as fresh squeeze lemon juice and a sprinkle of sugar but you only use a little on each serving and, come on, it's limonata- it's fancy.

Boil together in a sauce pan until the liquid reduces by about half. To test the syrup's constancy spoon a little on to a cold plate and let it cool for a moment or two, then tip the plate and watch it drip. You want it to be the constancy of whipping cream as it will thicken as it cools.

Don't stick your finger it in to test it. It's hot sugar, it will hurt and it will stick you to and it will keep on hurting for a long time.

Let the syrup cool then drizzle over your pancakes and enjoy!


For how to make the metal tag labels see my post at I Am Holly Vine