Flipping 'eck!

Happy Shrove Tuesday. Today is the day when you eat far too many pancakes and then give them up until Easter. I have never managed to give up anything for Lent so I thought to myself that this year will be different. I can do it! I took a look at what I could forgo and discovered surprisingly little! I gave up smoking last year, barely drink anymore and Weight Watchers have seen off all cakes, decent bread, chocolate and butter and, therefore, I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that this year maybe I should take up something for Lent. Now that is a long list!!

Anyway, diet aside, I will no doubt partake of just one wafer thin pancake, with maybe a squeeze of orange. I have always preferred orange to lemon on a pancake, there is also the added bonus that you don't need sugar. Yippee, that's another point saved!

I will give a choice of pancakes today, both very easy to make. The first is Michel Roux's recipe. It is richer than the second, but well worth it and don't we all deserve a treat every now and then?

125g plain flour

15g caster sugar

Pinch of salt
2 eggs
325ml milk
100ml double cream
You should get 16 - 18 pancakes from this

Mix all the dry ingredients with the eggs and whisk well.
Add 100ml of milk to make a smooth batter.
Gradually add the rest of the milk and cream, mixing all the time.
Leave it to rest for an hour

For a lighter and healthier pancake use the following from the Good Housekeeping book. Both recipes can have flavours added, depending on taste, vanilla for example. Various citrus oils added to the batter work very well too.

200g flour 
2 eggs
Pinch of salt
600ml milk
Makes about 14 pancakes

Mix the flour, salt and eggs
Gradually add the milkl until you get a smooth batter
Leave to rest for an hour

This is a great recipe if you are wanting to make savoury pancakes. Treat them like a pizza and sprinkle away. I find leaving them on the hob to cook and melt is better than popping them in the oven.

To cook either recipe heat a good non-stick frying pan, add a small amout of fat, either butter or vegetable oil, and get nice and hot. Pick up the pan and making a circular motion pour in a small amout of batter. You want to get it spread acroos the whole pan as quickly as possible.

Flipping pancakes can be a disaster and as I still have difficulty I shall leave you to find your own happy way. The only thing I will say is that you need the first side to be cooked and crispy, just to give some rigidity to the pancake before you try to flip it. Alternatively you could use a spatula and turn it by hand!! Or maybe take note of W C Fields “The laziest man I ever met put popcorn in his pancakes so they would turn over by themselves!”

Pancakes keep very well as long as you abide by one rule, put a sheet of greaseproof paper between each one! This way you can make a whole batch for later. Just pop them back in the pan to reheat when you need them.

As far as fillings go, the world is your oyster. I like orange segments and Grand Marnier for a grown up version. After all, who said pancakes are just for children!?

Whatever you decide to cook today, enjoy. Worry about those ones stuck to the ceiling tomorrow!