I’ve been celebrating Pancake Day this week and indulging in some of my favourite sweet treats. I’m now totally convinced that everyday should be called pancake day because they are simply delicious and, there are so many types of pancakes to explore and devour both sweet and savoury!
Pancakes have a very long history and feature in cookery books dating as far back as 1439. They have been popular in some shape or form the world over for centuries and Archaeological evidence suggests that pancakes are probably the earliest and most widespread cereal food eaten in prehistoric societies dating back to 5th century B:C!
From Indian dosa to Ethiopian injera, Vietnamese bánh xèo to Austrian Kaiserschmarm and Russian blini, the world loves a pancake, but perhaps nowhere more than the US, where fluffy stacks drenched with maple syrup are the weekend breakfast of choice for millions – not least because they’re simplicity itself to make. With their beautifully freckled surface, glistening straight from the pan, pancakes are delicious eaten simply with lemon juice and sugar, but they can be filled with a variety of sweet ingredients such as maple syrup, fruit, ice cream or chocolate sauce. They also make a good base for savoury fillings too, such as fried mushrooms, cheese, spinach, chicken and seafood – anything goes really.
Here in Spain you should try “Filloas de Leche”. They are Galician pancakes and they are often eaten for dessert with cream and honey or occasionally served to accompany the famous Galician stew “Caldo Gallego”.
If you invest in a proper crêpe pan, preferably non-stick, it can make preparing successful pancakes easier – it’s a short-sided frying pan about 20cm across. Pancakes can be served as soon as they’re made but they can be made in advance. If making crêpes in advance, layer each crêpe between sheets of greaseproof paper, then wrap them in cling film. Store them in the fridge (for use the next day) or in the freezer for up to one month. More often than not, the first one out of the pan is always less than perfect. The up side of this phenomenon is that the cook get’s to eat it warm, straight from the pan while the second and third are in progress. In practice, that first pancake seasons the pan, leaving a light film of butter on which those that follow will slide. Don’t worry if your first attempts aren’t perfect; you’ll get better with practice When you see how simple it is to whip them up from scratch, you’ll wonder why you never did it before.
American Style Blueberry & Vanilla Pancakes
Serves 4
200g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
300ml milk
1tbsp melted butter
200g blueberries
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Olive oil or a little butter for cooking
4tbsp golden or maple syrup
4tbsp crème fraiche
1 Mix together the flour, baking powder, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt in a large bowl.
2 Blend in the, eggs, milk and melted butter to make a thick smooth batter.
3 Lightly oil and heat a non-stick frying pan.
4 Drop in 2 tbsp batter per pancake.
5 Cook for 1 1⁄2 - 2 minutes, until golden underneath and bubbling on top.
6 Flip over and cook for a further 1 to 2 minutes.
7 Serve with maple syrup, fresh blueberries & crème fraiche.
Galician Style pancakes (Filloas de Leche) with red fruits.
1 Beat the eggs, milk, water, flour, grated lemon zest, salt and melted butter together in a bowl. Leave to rest for 10-15 minutes.
2 Rub a non-stick frying pan with a little pork fat and place over a gentle flame. Pour a little of the mixture into the pan to form a thin film. Fry on both sides until golden and crisp around the edges.
3 Remove and stack the pancakes on a plate. Continue until all the mixture has been used up. Mix the sugar and ground cinnamon and sprinkle over the pancakes, Serve with red fruit compote & crème fraiche.
Red Fruit Compote
600g mixed red fruits (raspberries, strawberries, red currants, blackberries etc)
200g sugar
1tbsp raspberry liquor
1 Place the red fruits in a saucepan; add the sugar and raspberry liquor. Bring to the boil and stir gently until the sugar has dissolved.
2 Turn down the heat and simmer for 3 minutes, until the compote has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat.
Passion fruit, pineapple & lime crêpes.
Passion fruit, pineapple & lime crêpes
Serves 4
16 pancakes (made from the basic pancake mix)
For the crêpes (basic pancake mix)
120g plain flour, sifted
3 eggs
250ml milk
100ml water
50g melted butter
1⁄2 small orange, grated zest only A pinch of salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 Beat the eggs, milk, water, flour, grated orange zest, salt and melted butter together in a bowl. Leave to rest for 10-15 minutes.
2 Heat a non-stick frying pan with a little butter and place over a gentle flame. Pour a little of the mixture into the pan to form a thin film. Fry on both sides until golden and crisp around the edges. Remove and stack the pancakes on a plate. Continue until all the mixture has been used up.
For the Sauce:
150ml freshly squeezed orange juice 250ml pineapple juice
3 passion fruits (pulp & seeds)
Juice of 2 limes
40g sugar
1 Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5-6 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
2 Roll the pancakes and place them in the sauce to warm through. Serve with crème fraiche or vanilla ice cream.
No comments
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
Currently there are no comments.