Pancakes!

It's Shrove Tuesday this week (8th March) and for many people that means Pancakes!

Read more for a basic pancake recipe and some delicious topping ideas!

Basic Pancake recipe:

Enough for 8 pancakes

• 1 large egg or 1 egg and one yolk.
• ½ pint/280ml milk.
• 4oz/110g plain flour.
• 1 tbsp melted butter.

By hand: Sift the flour into a bowl with your arm fairly high to make sure the flour gets a good airing. Then make a well in the middle of the flour. Break the egg (and yolk, if using) and add a pinch of salt and a splash of the milk into another bowl then whisk the mixture gradually incorporating the flour, to make a smooth creamy mixture. Then whisk in the melted butter.

With a blender: Place all of the ingredients into a blender with a pinch of salt and blend until smooth.

Tip: Pancake batter improves the longer it is stored for. Mix the mixture up to a day ahead and store it in the fridge in a clean milk bottle.

Get your pan smoking hot. Ideally a pan with sloping edges is best, as it makes tossing the pancake easier! Instead of using butter to oil the pan - as it will burn when the pan is hot enough - using a heat proof brush spread a thin coat of oil over the pan and keep a bowl or cup with a bit of extra oil and the brush by the hob for additional greasing between pancakes!

By using just enough oil to give a sheen on the pan the pancakes turn out pretty and kind of lacy. The melted butter in the mixture will compensate for the lack of butter flavour from the pan.

To turn the pancake over to cook the other side, you will need to first loosen it with a wooden spatula and then using the spatula, flip the pancake over. Alternatively, you can live dangerously and risk tossing it in the pan with a sharp jerk of your wrist.

Fancy versions -

To make the pancakes fancier and tastier, you could try some of these topping suggestions!

• Pancakes with Greek yogurt and honey.
• Chocolate spread and chopped hazelnuts.
• Creme fraische and raspberries.
• Maple syrup and pecans.
• Chopped strawberries and melted chocolate.
• Blueberry pancakes with cream and fresh blueberries.
• Chocolate pancakes with strawberry halves and chocolate sauce for dipping.

Rozenrot

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