Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday is traditionally the day before Lent in the Christian calendar. This is a time for abstinence, which ends on Easter Sunday. Lots of people give up something for Lent, e.g chocolate or alcohol, so Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge yourself and use up the foods like fat and eggs which traditionally were not allowed during Lent.
The recipe below is a basic pancake recipe, which will make 4-6 pancakes, if you want to make more just double it.
Pancakes
- 100g plain flour
- Pinch of salt
- 1 large egg
- 300ml milk (approx.)
- 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
Method:
1. Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl, add the egg and a little milk and mix well to form a thick paste and remove any lumps. Add more milk, stirring or whisking really well until the batter is like the consistency of single cream.
2. Leave the batter to stand for an hour (or longer if you want to make it in advance), then stir it well before use.
3. Heat a small frying pan over a medium-high heat with a small drizzle of oil until really hot. Pour in enough batter to cover the base of the pan thinly (you will need to tip the pan to make sure it completely covers).
4. Cook for approx. 30-40 seconds until lightly brown and then flip over and cook the other side. Remove from the pan and top as required. Continue cooking more pancakes using the remaining batter.
Topping Ideas:
- Sprinkle with caster sugar and lemon or lime juice
- Slice banana thinly and place on top of the pancake with a drizzle of maple syrup.
- Spread the pancake with chocolate spread and add a few raspberries.
About Our Expert Contributor
Wendy Strang has been working as a consultant Home Economist/Food Stylist for over 20 years for a variety of food and appliance manufacturers, writing recipes, styling food for stills photography and film for advertising and editorial purposes. Wendy also gets involved with cookery demonstrations for appliance and houseware companies. Prior to working on a freelance basis.
She was Head office Home Economist for Iceland Frozen Foods and before that for Kraft Foods. Wendy has recently been on the judging panel for The Grocer Own label Food and Drink Awards and been developing recipes for Whitworths and Pyrex PR.
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