Chocolate Pancake Sushi with Cherries

To prepare these delicious pancakes, the beginning is essential. We sift the flour and cocoa into a bowl, making sure to achieve a fine texture without lumps. Then, we add the eggs, oil, and begin to gradually incorporate the milk. It is important to mix vigorously to avoid the formation of lumps. We continue to beat the mixture until it becomes smooth and homogeneous, ensuring that we obtain a batter that is liquid but also thicker and slightly sticky. If you notice that the mixture is too dense, do not hesitate to add a few tablespoons of milk, and if it is too thin, add more flour. Once the desired batter is obtained, we let it rest at room temperature for at least an hour to improve the texture of the pancakes.

While the batter rests, we can prepare the rice pudding. It is crucial to wash the rice very well in several cold waters, then drain it and spread it on a towel, ensuring it dries well for about 30 minutes. This step will help the rice absorb the liquid properly. After that, we boil the rice for 3 minutes in boiling water with a pinch of salt, over medium to low heat, covering the pot. After these 3 minutes, we drain the rice and transfer it to a pot with boiling milk, in which we have dissolved the sugar and vanilla sugar. It is important that the pot has a well-fitting lid. Once the milk starts to boil, we put the lid on, reduce the heat, and let it simmer for 10 minutes. It is essential not to lift the lid during this time to achieve perfect rice.

Next, we take care of the cherry filling. We bring the cherry jam to a boil and dissolve the cornstarch in the cold syrup, which we add to the pot with the jam. We simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, then set aside to cool.

For assembly, if you have a bamboo sushi mat, it is ideal. If not, you can replace it with parchment paper. We place a pancake on the mat and spread a layer of rice pudding that covers about ¾ of the surface. In the middle of this layer, we add the cherry filling, and on the uncovered edge of the rice, we brush with honey to help with sticking. We roll the pancake starting from the side with the filling, using the mat or parchment paper to achieve a tight roll. Once rolled, we refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Finally, we cut each roll into 6 pieces and serve the sushi pancakes plain or drizzle them with honey, add a dollop of whipped cream, and sprinkle grated chocolate on top, turning them into a refined and flavorful dessert. This recipe brings together textures and flavors that delight the senses, and each bite will be an explosion of tastes.