Pancake Day - Shrove Tuesday

Well, it is that time of year again. In the UK, Shrove Tuesday is known as Pancake Day (or Pancake Tuesday to some people) because it is the one day of the year when almost everyone tucks into a plate of pancakes.

This year (2008), Pancake day is on Tuesday, 5th February. Shrove Tuesday is the last day before the period which Christians call Lent. Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year and falls between February 3 and March 9.

The name Shrove comes from the old word "shrive" which means to confess. Christians used to go to confession and were "Shriven" (absolved from their sins). It was the last opportunity to use eggs and fats before embarking on the Lenten fast and pancakes are the perfect way of using up these ingredients.

The traditional English Pancake is a thin, flat cake, made of batter and baked on a griddle or fried in a pan. The pancake has a very long history and featured in cookbooks as far back as 1439. The tradition of tossing or flipping them is almost as old.

Certainly these days, part of the fun of cooking pancakes is in the tossing. To toss a pancake successfully takes a combination of the perfect pancake and good technique - it's so easy to get it wrong and end up with half the pancake still stuck to the pan while the other half is stuck to the ceiling or floor. All is all, it's probably best to practise a few times without an audience.

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Ingredients



For the pancake mixture:
110g/4oz plain flour, sifted
pinch of salt
2 eggs
200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water
50g/2oz butter

To serve:
Sugar
Lemon juice
Lemon slices/wedges

Please click HERE for a UK/US conversion table

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Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl with a sieve held high above the bowl so the flour gets a airing.



Now make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it.



Then begin whisking the eggs - any sort of whisk or even a fork will do - incorporating any bits of flour from around the edge of the bowl as you do so.
Then gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking (don't worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk).



When all the liquid has been added, use a rubber spatula to scrape any elusive bits of flour from around the edge into the centre, then whisk once more until the batter is smooth, with the consistency of thin cream.



The secret to the perfect pancake is to let the batter mix rest for at least one hour. This will help the pancake to be light and fluffy.

When you are ready to cook your pancakes, melt the 50g/2oz of butter in a pan. Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a bowl and use it to lubricate the pan, using a wodge of kitchen paper to smear it round before you make each pancake.

Now get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium and, to start with, do a test pancake to see if you're using the correct amount of batter. I find 2 tbsp is about right for an 18cm/7in pan. It's also helpful if you spoon the batter into a ladle so it can be poured into the hot pan in one go. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter.



It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it's tinged gold as it should be.



Flip the pancake over with a pan slice or palette knife - the other side will need a few seconds only - then simply slide it out of the pan onto a plate.



(If you are making more than one at once, then stack the pancakes as you make them between sheets of greaseproof paper on a plate fitted over simmering water, to keep them warm while you make the rest).


There are various things you can add to an English Pancake, but my favourite is to add Lemon and Sugar. If you are going to have some pancakes, you should at least try this one.

To serve, spinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and some sugar.



Then fold in half, and in half again to form triangles, or else simply roll them up as I have done here (in my opinion, this is the best way to eat them). Serve sprinkled with a little more sugar or (icing sugar) and lemon juice and extra slice of lemon.

I hope you have an attempt at cooking some English Pancakes. To be honest, I like them anytime of the year... I don't need the excuse of Shrove Tuesday ;)


Cheerio for now,

Graham Ettridge xx