Christmas Breakfast - Pigs In Blankets & Cinnamon Pancakes

With Christmas just around the corner we're getting into full Christmas mode. Lights have been switched on, presents have been wrapped, snowballs have been drunk and tubs of chocolates have been emptied. My eldest child once said that the best part about Christmas is the pigs in blankets. I've never really been that keen and would be more than happy to give up my share to the teenagers to fulfil their needs. That was until one day when I decided that they would make an awesome accompaniment to pancakes! For brunch we often enjoy tasty chipolata sausages and crispy bacon with pancakes and waffles, so why not combine the two and have festive pigs in blankets with the pancakes instead. They were a huge hit and I will definitely be adding them to the breakfast menu on Christmas morning.

WARM CINNAMON PANCAKES WITH PIGS IN BLANKETS AND MAPLE SYRUP

Pigs In Blankets & Cinnamon Pancakes - serves 4/5

12 good quality Chipolata sausages (I buy Asda Extra Special Pork Chipolatas)

12 rashers of good quality streaky bacon (I buy Asda Extra Special Oak Smoked)

2 eggs

100ml buttermilk

150ml milk

75g melted butter

180g plain flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp caster sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

• Cut the chipolatas & bacon rashers in half
• Stretch the bacon out with the back of a knife on a chopping board to thin it out
• Wrap the bacon around the chipolatas
• Place into a roasting tin or oven dish in a preheated 200℃ oven for approx 25 minutes, until the bacon is crispy
• In the meantime make the pancakes by whisking the eggs, buttermilk, milk & melted butter together in a bowl or jug
• In another large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar & cinnamon
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry & mix until just combined
• Heat a non stick pan over a medium/high heat
• Spoon some of the batter into the pan and cook 3 or 4 pancakes at a time - flipping over when the bases are golden brown 
• Serve with wonderful Maple syrup

Baked Camembert with Spicy Cranberry & Rhubarb Chutney

For many of us, Christmas is all about eating and drinking. The kids love tucking into their chocolate Christmas morning, and when I was their age I loved nothing more than scoffing a box of Hazelnut whirls, which, in my opinion, were the best ones from the Roses jar - remember Roses jars? no plastic boxes in the 80's, it was quality glass jars all the way. In fact I still have one. 

These days I'm more into savoury delights, especially cheese. To enjoy cheese to its fullest there also needs to be chutney. Upon checking my pantry for my stash of home made chutney I was horrified to find that I only have one jar left - it's unlabelled so I'm not quite sure if it's Asian Chilli or Caramelised Onion, but either way I needed to rectify the situation immediately.

I needed to empty some excess from the freezer & found some cranberries and rhubarb in there so decided to put them to good use and make some spicy chutney. You can make chutney out of pretty much any fruit or veg so if you don't have exact ingredients don't worry, just replace them with something else - extra onion, courgettes, carrots, peppers, butternut squash. Anything with a bit of substance to it, otherwise it will end up like a smoothie. 

Once I'd made the chutney I wanted to try it out immediately, so I bought a camembert, and lunch was sorted.

Spicy Cranberry & Rhubarb Chutney - makes approx 3 jars

2 onions

2 apples

375g rhubarb

3 tomatoes

1 red pepper

175g cranberries
2 red chillies

2 cloves of garlic

300ml white wine vinegar

350g granulated sugar

tbsp mixed spice

• roughly chop the onions, apples, rhubarb, tomatoes & pepper, and add them to a large saucepan
• add thinly sliced chilli, crushed garlic, vinegar, sugar & mixed spice
• bring to the boil and simmer for approx 30-45 minutes, until it's thick
• pour into sterilised jars

Baked Camembert

1 whole camembert

home made chutney

olive oil

sprigs of rosemary

• remove any plastic packaging from the camembert
• if it comes in a wooden box place it back into it & onto a baking tray, or into a suitably sized ovenproof dish
• using a sharp knife, cut a crosshatch pattern in the top of the camembert
• drizzle with a little olive oil & spoon some chutney on top
• stick a few sprigs of rosemary into the cheese
• bake in a preheated 200C oven for around 10-15 minutes, until the cheese has melted

Serve with bread or crackers, a few rocket leaves and some balsamic roasted tomatoes

Perfect as an appetiser to share, as a lunch, or just because.

If you're looking for a really impressive way to serve your camembert, then you must see this beaut from Jenny - it's her very aptly named Bad Boy Brioche.