Should pancakes be made thick or thin, fluffy or rubbery(there's a Chinese dialect joke there), pale or brown, sweet or savoury? What's the best pancake filling for Tuesday?
Gerry Tan ● 4415d28 Comments
I've never been able to get a good dosai or dosa result in a frying pan. I think that you need a really good crepe plate or large flat hotplate to get the 'thinness'.
Nigel Brooks ● 4410d
Mmm Funny how something so simple is so popular. Ours were good too.I must try and replicate the Cafe Rouge country style savoury pancake sometime and one day I'll have a go at masala dosai.
Philippa Bond ● 4410d
Had several tasty, thin(just the way I like'em) and tender pancakes last night at a neighbour's house. They offered several fillings - savoury and sweet - fellow neighbours and all had a great time. I kept to honey and fresh lemon drizzled on the pancakes that seemed to be constantly coming from their kitchen. We laughed a lot and a good time was had by all.
Gerry Tan ● 4410d
Down side: managed to squirt some lemon in my eye.
Susan Kelly ● 4410d
Haven't made them yet!! Lemon juice and sugar on Sunday and tonight maple syrup and butter.
Mmm, they were reaaaalllyyy nice.
Don't you think that lacy, holey and different-each-time ones are MORE memorable? Or your own initials and punctuation drawn in drop scone/scotch pancake batter? You could try an American capital G and an English one... and they have to be hot straight out of the pan so that the butter melts when it hits them. Hungry now? It's lunchtime!
Philippa Bond ● 4411d
"...bought ones are so boringly perfect..."What a beautiful phrase - English is a wonderfully descriptive language.
Gerry Tan ● 4411d
I bet you'll eat more if you don't cook them yourself! I'm sure you'll enjoy them though (that is if we can't make you feel really really guilty for cheating on making one of the easiest things ever :) ). You'll miss the satisfaction of making them and bought ones are so boringly perfect - unlike the memorable lacy holey and different each time ones...
Our neighbours are having a pancake party tonight and they've kindly invited us. Watch this space for a write up later!
Oh Susan, we're disappointed in you! All of us have been reaching for our Delia cookbooks, grabbing our Mary Berry recipes and looking for our Nigel Slater DVDs not to mention our Hugh Fearnley Whitting-thingy food folders - and you got your pancakes from Marks! Really, I don't know.(Just joking - have fun tonight!)
Mea culpa: I've bought mine ready made from M&S. Previous experience suggests that they will be delicious tonight.
Susan Kelly ● 4411d
I was in Sainsbury's Chiswick last week and it was before Gerry's reminder unfortunately and I forgot to look. Last year I couldn't get it in Sainsbury's Chiswick or Waitrose.
Made them last night for those who won't be getting any on Tuesday. We had the traditional lemon and sugar or lemon and sweetener. It's funny how everybody seems to love them. They are so simple to make. Pancake parties are fun - then you can take turns with the frying pan, guests can bring a filling, and you get to try different fillings and enjoy good company.Thanks for reminding us Gerry.
Philippa Bond ● 4412d
Whenever I hear the words crepe Suzette, I laugh and think of Kenneth Williams.
Gerry Tan ● 4413d
Thin with either maple syrup and vanilla ice cream, or as a crepe Suzette yum
Tracey Mehdizadeh ● 4413d
For me it's got to be thin pancakes with sugar, lemon juice and chocolate ice cream!
Mark Anson ● 4414d
I used to be the only person who made savoury ones.Cafe Rouge used to do a lovely one filled with ratatouille and goats cheese.Yotam Ottolenghi has some nice recipes too. Pikelets (or crumpets) are almost the same recipe as are Scotch pancakes.Mum used to write our initials with the thicker batter in the pan.Basic thin pancakes are just egg, plain flour and milk. Scotch pancakes have raising agent.
Philippa Bond ● 4414d
Find a recipe that is easy. I also heard that adding a bit of mild flavoured vegetable oil to the batter helps to stop it sticking. I presume that (and the flavour) accounts for the butter in the following simple recipe from Xanthe Clay.Uni students often don't have scales or tablespoons (or know where they are). They usually drink tea and/or coffee and eat cereal. So measurements need to be in dessertspoons and mugs! Half a pint of milk = 1 ordinary sized mugful.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/8366615/How-to-make-a-basic-pancake-batter.htmlYou learn to know the consistency and how to adjust it...it is easier to go from thicker to thinner!
For pancake day I often make spinach and ricotta or bacon, mushroom and cheese pancakes. After I've filled the pancakes I heat them in the oven with cheese melted on top.
Emily Heath ● 4414d
Thanks Nigel - never tried it and sorry Jim you can't have sugars.
Gerry Tan ● 4414d
GerryWaitrose do stock a very nice, and reasonably priced, sweet chestnut puree and larger Sainsburys stock Clement Faugier Chestnut Spread - Crème de Marrons although I haven't tried it.
Nigel Brooks ● 4414d
It's the sugar content that stunts the pleasures of us diabetics Gerry. We can only watch as you perform..
Jim Lawes ● 4414d
Yes Susan and Nigel, there's nothing to beat the good old fashioned sugar and lemon in a folded thinnish pancake.And Philippa, I've never tried creme des marrons with my pancakes - sounds delish - do Waitrose sell it pourquoi?Speaking of the French - I learnt something new tonight...Mardi Gras means fat Tuesday, the time for festive celebrations - it refers to feasting a plenty because the next day begins Lent when one fasts. I learn something new every day!
Ah, sweet chestnut purée! I came across this when doing my under-graduate year in France in 1976/7, served with sweet crème fraiche (then unknown in England!). If you find a supplier, do tell.
Susan Kelly ● 4414d
Thin(ish) with loads of lemon and sugar.
I lost my thick and bubbly pancake recipe so now we just have ordinary thin pancakes.creme de marrons (sweetened chestnut puree) is my favourite filling but there can't be as many French people in Chiswick any more because I've found it increasingly difficult to find. :( I usually remember too late.
Philippa Bond ● 4415d
I honestly don't think you can beat the classic lemon and sugar, nice and thin then rolled up.
Susan Kelly ● 4415d