Shrove Tuesday can only mean one thing: pancakes.
The numbers are staggering: 52 million eggs are used across Britain on this day, some 20 million more than any other day of the year. And while lemon and sugar is still the go-to standard, other toppings are increasingly popular: Clarks sell around 130,000 bottles of maple syrup on this day alone, while Nutella sell event more.
Our simple recipe is below — as well as six more adventurous suggestions for pancake connoisseurs.
Easy peasy pancakes
Ingredients
125g plain flour
1 egg, beaten
300ml semi-skimmed milk
Oil, or butter, for frying
Method
Sift the flour into a large bowl. Making a well in the centre of the flour, add the beaten egg and slowly whisk in the milk until the mixture becomes a smooth batter. Cover and leave to rest for half an hour.
Gently heat a heavy based frying pan and when hot, brush with oil. A good trick is dipping a sheet of kitchen towel into the oil and wiping the base of the frying pan.
Pour a small ladleful of batter into the centre of the pan and tilt to spread mixture evenly to the edges. Cook for a couple of minutes and using a spatula begin to ease the pancake from the surface of the pan.
The pancake should come away fairly easily and be lightly golden brown. Flip and cook the other side. The first pancake is usually a little trickier than the rest — in between pancakes, lightly re-oil the pan using the same piece of kitchen towel.
Adventures with chocolate
That's if you're not happy just to grab the Nutella, of course. This Recipe from Adventures with Chocolate by Paul A. Young (Kyle Books, £14.99) should hit the spot...
Ingredients
25g Venezuelan 100% dark chocolate, grated
200g buckwheat flour, or spelt
1 free-range egg
45g light muscovado sugar
350ml milk
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Unsalted butter, for frying
Method
Place all the pancake ingredients (except the butter) in a blender or food processor and whizz until a smooth, thick batter is formed. Leave to rest while you make a syrup and prepare your toppings.
Heat a non-stick pan with a tiny amount of butter. Drop 1-2 tbsp of mixture in and turn when bubbles start to form on the surface.
Top the pancakes with chocolate syrup made by dissolving a pinch of sea salt in 50ml water, adding 250g of maple syrup and then, once it's simmering, pour the lot onto 100g of dark chocolate, whisking the whole lot together.
For a hit of something strong
You might be a bit over the whole 'gin in everything' phase, but if not this one from Fentimans looks very intriguing.
Ingredients
140ml of Fentimans Valencian Orange Tonic Water
1 tbsp gin of choice
200ml of orange juice (add extra if consistency is too thick)
Zest of 2 large oranges (optional)
200g of golden caster sugar
4.5 tbsp corn starch
Pinch of salt
Method
Add all ingredients into a saucepan and heat over medium–high heat until boiling, stirring constantly. This should take 5-8 minutes, and should thicken and turn clear.
Remove from the heat and set aside into a heat proof bowl; if consistency is too thick, add extra orange juice at this stage and stir through. You can store it in the fridge once cooled, and pour over the pancakes when ready.
Crêpes St Marie
In this fruity dessert, inspired by Bonne Maman's Salted Caramel spread, sweet mangos and pineapple lend a tropical flavour to your average Tuesday morning.
Cut up and mix together a mango, a kiwi, a quarter of a pineapple, a handful of small seedless black grapes, a squeeze of lime juice and some lime zest.
Fold 4 tbsp of Bonne Maman Salted Caramel and a tbsp of dark rum (or clear apple juice if you're cooking for the family) into a tub of Greek strained yogurt.
Spread the yogurt onto the crêpe, spoon over the lime-soaked fruits and sprinkle with toasted coconut flakes and lime zest.
American breakfast pancakes
This is one of Nigella Lawson's recipes and a go-to in Country Life's Digital Content Director's (Rosie Paterson) house. Crêpes are typically favoured over American-style pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, but we won't tell if you don't.
Ingredients
2½ tsp baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp white sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
30g butter, melted and cooled
300ml milk
225g plain flour
Butter for frying
Method
Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blitz.
Heat a smooth griddle or pan on the stove.
When you cook the pancakes, all you need to remember is that when the upper side of the pancake is blistering and bubbling it's time to cook the second side, and this needs only about 1 minute, if that.
Crêpes Suzette
'There was a time when this recipe was certainly overexposed,' says Delia Smith, 'but now that it has become a forgotten rarity, we can all re-appreciate its undoubted charm, which remains in spite of changes in fashion.'
The recipe — specifically the bit at the end when you seemingly set everything on fire — isn't for the faint-hearted so perhaps give this video from the Suzette masters over at The Ritz a watch first before you give it a go...
Ingredients
For the crepes:
Use our foolproof basic recipe, above
For the sauce:
200ml orange juice (from 3 - 4 large oranges)
Grated zest of 1 large orange
Grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon
1 slightly rounded tbsp golden caster sugar
4 tbsp Grand Marnier, Cointreau or Brandy (plus a little extra brandy if you are going to flame the pancakes)
50g unsalted butter
Method
'For the sauce, mix all the ingredients — with the exception of the butter — in a jug. Melt the butter in the larger frying pan, pour in the sauce and allow it to heat very gently.
Then place the first crepe in the pan and give it time to warm through before folding it in half and then half again to make a triangular shape. Slide this on to the very edge of the pan then add the next crepe. Continue like this until they're all re-heated, folded and well soaked with the sauce. Then arrange the folded pancakes so they are spread out evenly across the pan and pour over any remaining juices.
You can flame them at this point if you like. Heat a ladle by holding it over a gas flame or by resting it on the edge of a hotplate then, away from the heat, pour a little brandy into it, return it to the heat to warm the spirit then set light to it. Carry the flaming ladle to the table over the pan and pour the flames over the crepes before serving.'
Potato pancakes with smoked salmon and eggs
This recipe from Waitrose looks great for those of us who prefer savoury treats to sweet ones — plus they will work for breakfast, lunch or supper.
Ingredients
225g leftover mashed potatoes (or ½ x 450g pack mashed potatoes)
65g self-raising flour
100ml milk
4 eggs
2 tbsp sunflower oil
125g pack tenderstem broccoli tips or other greens, to serve (optional)
100g smoked Scottish salmon
4 tbsp crème fraîche
Dill or chives, chopped, to serve
Method
'Place the mash in a bowl, then stir in the flour. Whisk together the milk and 2 eggs, then whisk into the potato mix with some seasoning.
Brush a large nonstick frying pan with a little oil. Spoon 3-4 large spoonfuls of potato mix into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden and set. Repeat, brushing the pan with a little more oil in between, to make 8 pancakes.
Meanwhile, boil the remaining 2 eggs in a small pan for 6 minutes. Drain, peel and halve. Cook the tenderstem, or other greens, according to pack instructions, until tender.
Top the pancakes with the smoked salmon, crème fraîche and halved eggs. Sprinkle over the herbs, season with black pepper and serve with the veg on the side, if liked.
For the fluffiest pancakes, allow the potato batter to rest for 10 minutes or so before using. If you don’t have any leftover mashed potatoes, try using frozen.'
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