Pancake Day!

It’s Shrove Tuesday this week, so get your frying pans at the ready as we explore some scrumptious pancake recipes.

Pancakes, for me, conjure up happy childhood memories as my wonderful chef of a mum would make pancakes for my sister and I each day before school (much to the envy of all our friends!). These days I still can’t seem to contain my childlike excitement when it comes to pancake day, or even if it’s simply whipping up a batch of pancakes for breakfast on a lazy weekend.

The knowledge of a good, basic pancake recipe is a must, something to fall back on at any impromptu pancake-making moment! It is superbly simple and wonderfully versatile, with only three main ingredients that most of you will probably have in your fridge or larder already. The traditional Pancake Day pancakes are for me, the thin, crepe-like treats, providing the brilliant challenge of flipping with the great endeavour of the pancake reaming in one piece and preferably in the pan!

To make 12 pancakes, sieve 110g of plain flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt, make a well in the centre and break in 2 large eggs. Whisk the eggs, slowly incorporating the flour from the edges. Meanwhile, measure out 275ml milk, and slowly add this to the mixture, whisking well to keep lumps at bay! Melt 50g of butter and add 2tablespoons to the pancake batter- save the rest in a bowl and use to keep the pan greased. Now you’re ready to get flipping! Get the frying pan really hot; add some of the melted butter (not too much) and use about 2tablepoons of batter for each pancake, to coat the base of the pan. Fry the first side till it’s golden brown and can easily be flipped over then cook the other side, which shouldn’t take as long. I often find that the first pancake doesn’t work as well as the rest so don’t be disheartened! If making ahead of time stack the pancakes on a plate in between layers of greaseproof paper to prevent sticking. Of course you can’t go wrong with the traditional sugar and lemon adornment, but why not try the following ideas for something special this year!

Try banoffee pancakes by topping them with sliced bananas, caramel and grated chocolate. If you can’t find tins of caramel or dulche de leche in the supermarket, a really quick and easy way to make caramel is to take a tin of condensed milk and place in a pan of boiling water (unopened), keep it simmering for 3hours and allow the tin to cool before opening, and you’re left with gorgeous gooey caramel.

You can’t go wrong with a chocolate and strawberry combination, so try topping your pancakes with sliced strawberries and this irresistible chocolate sauce. Take 4 mars bars and melt slowly in a pan with a little butter, pour in 100ml of single cream and continue to melt everything together. The result is the most divine chocolate sauce, also heavenly on vanilla ice cream.

Pancakes are a great idea for a dinner party pudding; you can make them ahead of time as mentioned above or even get guests to flip their own! Lay the table with bowls of a variety of toppings and get everyone to help themselves.

Pancakes are tremendously versatile, as a sort of blank canvas to embellish with any number and assortment of ingredients you fancy. They are also just as delicious used in a savoury dish, here’s one scrumptious main course pancake recipe that works as a great Monday supper, to use up any leftover roast chicken from the Sunday! Use the basic pancake recipe above to make a stack of pancakes ready to be filled. Meanwhile heat a glug of olive oil and a knob of butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, and add one finely chopped onion and clove of garlic with a pinch of salt. When these are soft and starting to colour add a couple of handfuls of chopped mushrooms, I like using chestnut mushrooms for their flavour. Slice a leek finely and add to the pan and let soften. Pour in a glug of white wine, followed by 3-heaped tablespoons of crème fraiche, and stir until this had melted into a creamy sauce. Now add in some leftover/pre-cooked chicken and a handful of chopped lemon thyme. Now for the fun bit- spoon 3-4 tablespoonfuls of the creamy chicken mixture into each pancake before rolling up carefully and transferring to an ovenproof dish. Continue this process until all the pancakes are used, sprinkle generously with a combination of grated cheddar and Gruyere, and bake in an oven pre-heated to 180C for 15-20minutes, until golden brown. Enjoy with a crisp green salad.