Europe - Sauce for Pancakes

Whisky sauce and vanilla cream (for pancakes)             Flambéed cherries and warm chocolate sauce (for pancakes)
  Recipe from Ready Steady Cook / Ready Steady Cook    By James Tanner
Total Time: 40 mins,   Prep Time: 10 mins,   Cook Time: 10-30 mins   Servings:  2

    
Image from closetcooking.com, againstallgrain.com, sacchef.com, dietihub.com,

Ingredients

For the whisky sauce

2 tbsp caster sugar

25g/1oz redcurrants

1 tbsp whisky

2 tbsp double cream

For the cream

150ml/5fl oz double cream

½ vanilla pod, seeds only

For the flambéed cherries

150g/5½oz fresh cherries, stems and stones removed

1 orange, juice and zest only

2 tbsp Kirsch liqueur

For the chocolate sauce

55g/2oz dark chocolate, melted

100ml/3½fl oz double cream

½ vanilla pod, seeds scraped out

Preparation method

For the whisky sauce:

1. Heat the sugar in a frying pan until it melts. 
2. Stir in the redcurrants and whisky and cook over a very high heat for one minute to boil off the alcohol. 
3. (CAUTION: the whisky may catch fire, which is perfectly acceptable, but do keep clothes and hair away from the pan until the flames die.) 
4. Reduce the heat and stir in the cream.

For the vanilla cream:

1. Whisk the cream with the vanilla seeds until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed.
2. Required technique - whip cream by hand

For the flambéed cherries:

1. Place the cherries, orange juice and zest and Kirsch into a hot frying pan
2. Carefully set alight and flambé for one minute
3. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

For the sauce: 

1. Place the dark chocolate with the double cream and vanilla seeds into a mixing bowl
2. Set over a saucepan of just-simmering water (making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the surface of the water) 
3. Stir until melted and smooth.

To serve:

1. Divide the pancakes between 2 serving plates, and top with some vanilla cream. 
2. Spoon the whisky sauce on top.

OR

1. Top the pancakes with the flambéed cherries 
2. and drizzle over the hot chocolate sauce.