It’s that time of year again when you are racing home late from work and remember that it’s Shrove Tuesday and that traditionally you should be making pancakes. Now there are options here, you can nip into your local supermarket and buy ready made ones; you can buy ready-made mix and pretend it was your own, or you can ignore completely and pretend that you a) hadn’t remembered or b) that you don’t like them anyway. Finally, you can just bite the bullet and make them yourself. Simples! As that ghastly meerkat thing would say.
Pancakes are very easy to make and are good for both savoury and sweet toppings. They always remind me of those brilliant crepe stalls you get in France, where even if you’re not hungry, there’s always room for a crepe.
Pancake recipe
110g plain flour, Pinch of salt, 2 large eggs, 200ml milk, mixed with 75ml of water (Optional 1 tablespoon of Grande Marnier or any other orange liqueur); Groundnut oil for frying (I like this best, as it doesn’t burn as easily as olive oil)
Method
- Chuck eggs and the flour in to a food processor or use an electric whisk. I mix it with my hand whisk straight in a jug which makes it easier
- Add water and milk mixture
- Add liqueur if wished, this is for really fancy “crepe suzette” type pancakes
- Whisk until all lumps have gone and it had a texture like thin cream
- Add a little groundnut in to a hot frying pan
- Add a little of mixture and immediately swish round the pan until it is thinly covered, you’ll soon get the hang of how much mixture you need, the thinner the better and the first one is always a disaster so don’t be downhearted
When the underside of the pancake is beginning to go very light gold, either flip with a spatula or toss confidently in the air to cook the other side
At this point, I like to add a couple of broken chocolate truffles and a spoonful of golden syrup to the pancake so it starts to go melty and lovely, but that’s optional
- Slide off the plate and serve
- Use my topping as above, or alternatives are:
- Chunks of chocolate, with golden syrup and whipped double cream
- Chopped banana, with greek yogurt and honey
- Lemon juice and sugar – Shrove Tuesday purists will say this is the best way to go
- Nutella – just on its own (Ellie’s favourite)
- Very thinly sliced apples with a sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon (if you cook the apple with a little, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a saucepan beforehand, just for a few minutes it is a really lovely topping)
- Chopped up walnuts and maple syrup
- Ham or salami and grated cheese (omit the orange liqueur if you choose this)
Oh and of course, all of the above should be with a big scoop of the ice cream of your choice!
Let me know your choice of topping!
The Bombay Boys 