Crème Anglaise
- In a pot off the heat, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla for 1 minute or until the mixture is smooth and pale. Gradually whisk in the hot cream.
- Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and scraping the bottom and sides of the pot, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Cover and let cool.
Pancakes
- In a blender, purée the beet and milk until smooth. Strain through a sieve as needed. Set aside.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer for 5 minutes. With the machine running on low speed, stir in half of the milk mixture, then the dry ingredients. Stir in the remaining milk mixture until smooth. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
- Warm a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Once the skillet is warm, brush with butter. For each pancake, use about ⅓ cup (75 ml) of the batter. Using the back of a spoon, spread the batter out slightly. Cook two pancakes at a time for 1 to 2 minutes on each side. The pancakes are ready to flip over when bubbles start to form at the centre or when the edges are starting to cook. Adjust the heat as needed to allow the pancakes time to cook before they brown too quickly.
- Keep the pancakes warm in an oven preheated to 200°F (95°C) while you cook the remaining batter.
- Serve the pancakes on plates topped with the crème anglaise and raspberries.
Chef’s tip
Instead of using a beet, you can use food colouring to turn the pancakes pink. In this case, omit the beet at step 3 and stir 1 ½ tsp (7.5 ml) red food colouring into the batter at step 5.