Cardamom pancakes, pistachio galettes, salmon toast – Claire Ptak's festive brunch recipes

I love London during the holidays and have spent almost every Christmas there for the past 15 years. The capital becomes a ghost town and businesses close for days – something that does not happen in the same way in the United States, where I grew up. It's a tradition at our Violet Bakery to stay open until about 1 p.m. on Christmas Eve, handing out eggnog to customers who come in for last-minute baskets, hash pies, cakes and puddings. before the big day. When the shop is closed, there is just enough time to have dinner with friends and then go home to bake cookies for Santa.

Christmas morning , I get up at dawn to make freshly squeezed orange juice, coffee, and cinnamon toast to keep the wolf out of the door while we open presents. Cleaning up all the pretty papers and ribbons should be quick, before making breakfast. The breakfast is light but plentiful. We like to walk in the park at Christmas, so something with a bit of protein is what I crave. Fresh food and fresh air. I love having rosy cheeks and feeling the cold so we can come back and get cozy again, play games and whet our appetites for Christmas dinner.

Cardamom pancakes with figs with thyme (pictured above)

For those who prefer a gentle start to the day, these are my best fluffy American pancakes, enriched with cardamom and cinnamon for Christmas. The dried figs are poached in thyme, but the addition of a dash of chartreuse or another favorite herbaceous liqueur like fernet transforms them.

For 4 to 6 peopleFor the figswhole dried figs 300gfresh thyme 3 sprigs of water 300mlsweet white wine 300ml, Muscat or Sauternes (or apple juice)honey 1 tablespoonchartreuse or fernet a glou (optional )

For the pancakesplain flour 210 g baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1½ tsp salt 1 tsp ground cardamom 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp butter 50 gyoghurt 200g milk 180ml eggs 3 separated caster sugar 3 tbsp Greek yoghurt, to serve

Start with the figs. Put all the ingredients for the figs except the chartreuse in a small saucepan and cook gently, covered, over low heat for 35-40 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Stir in the chartreuse and allow to cool further. Once cooled to the touch, cut off the stems of the figs and cut them into quarters.

For the pancakes, weigh the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cardamom and cinnamon in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and let cool slightly.

In another bowl, weigh the yogurt and milk. Separate the eggs by putting the yolks with the yogurt and the whites in a large clean bowl and set aside. Whisk the yolks and yogurt mixture to combine, then add a spoonful to the melted butter to temper it, whisking well. Add the rest of the mixture and whisk until smooth. Whisk this mixture well into the dry ingredients.

Whip the egg whites with the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until medium stiff peaks are forming. Fold this into the dough. Heat a heavy bottomed skillet with a little oil. Bake the pancakes and serve hot with the fig compote and Greek yogurt.

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