Layered Pancake Bomb

Being on leave, gives one a chance to take a bit more time over dinner.  This is something I have not made in quite a while now.  It takes a little time, but gives a very impressive result - and you can be as upmarket, as vegetarian, as simple as you like with it.

First you have to make Pancakes:

1 cup flour
1 egg
1 1/2 - 2 cups milk
pinch of salt

Whisk until smooth.  Ladle mixture onto a hot oiled pan (I use spray and cook).  Wait until it bubbles, then turn. You should get about 7 or 8 pancakes out of this mixture.  Fry all of the mixture and stack the pancakes one on top of each other, to keep them moist.

Then you have to prepare the Fillings:

Here you can do whatever you like.  Tonight we had left over potato with cheese as one of the layers, bacon, beans and chickpeas mixed with some cumin and lemon.  You could have layers of veggies, each with their own flavouring, or even crunchy things like celery, cucumber, slices of tomato.  Or baked vegetables - or fish - really it is entirely up to you.

Use a flat dish (I didn't this time, but that makes the best bomb).  Start with a pancake and fill it with your chosen filling.  Then another Pancake, then another filling - and so on, until you have built up a mound.

Then make a cheese sauce

melt a generous table spoon full of butter or margarine in a small saucepan, add about two generous tablespoons of flour and make a roux.  As it starts to come together and all the flour is coated with butter, add milk (you will be needing about three cups).  Start with a little to get the roux to combine with it, then pour in the rest - alwaying using a hand whisk, so that you don't get lumps.  Then add about two cups of grated cheddar cheese and a level teaspoon of dry Mustard powder.  A generous pinch of salt and a tap of cayenne pepper.  When the sauce has thickened, pour it over the bomb and put it in the oven for about 15 minutes (at 180C).  If you have a salad filling - put the bomb under the grill to brown the topping, but not to heat the inside too much.

The topping should bring the whole thing together, enveloping the whole bomb in a smooth, cheesy sauce.

Try it!  It is wonderful!