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Let’s face
it…who doesn’t like pancakes? They have been popular in some shape or form the
world over for centuries and Archaeological evidence suggests that pancakes are
probably the earliest and most widespread cereal food eaten in prehistoric
societies dating back to 5th century B:C!
With their beautifully freckled surface, glistening straight
from the pan, pancakes are delicious eaten simply with lemon juice and sugar,
but they can be filled with a variety of sweet ingredients such as maple syrup,
fruit, ice cream or chocolate sauce. They make a good base for savoury fillings
too, such as fried mushrooms, cheese, spinach, seafood – anything goes really.
Pancakes are made from a wide variety of flours and in a range of styles in
many countries.
French pancakes are made slightly thinner and are called
crêpes. Scotch pancakes are small and thick, usually cooked on a griddle and
sometimes flavoured with sultanas or raisins. American pancakes are normally
served at breakfast. They tend to be light and fluffy, served in generous
stacks with bacon and maple syrup. There are also the Russian blinis, Chinese
pancakes served with delicious Peking duck, Austrian Kaiserschmarm, Italian
crespelle and so on.
The best known is pancake dish is probably crêpes Suzette,
which are crêpes served with a sauce made from fresh orange juice, orange zest,
sugar, butter and Grand Marnier that is flamed at the table before serving. I
recently returned from a trip to southern India and I practically lived on
Dosas, these are a vegetarian dish served across India, best accompanied with
coriander, freshly chopped tomatoes and yoghurt.
I must admit that I love making Blinis (The Russian word for
pancakes), they make a great party dish served with soured cream and smoked
salmon. If you add a spoonful of caviar on top its pure heaven! Make batches of
them as they freeze well.
If you invest in a proper crêpe pan, preferably non-stick,
it can make preparing successful crêpes easier – it’s a short-sided frying pan
about 20cm across. Crêpes can be served as soon as they’re made but they can be
made in advance. If making crêpes in advance, layer each crêpe between sheets
of greaseproof paper, then wrap them in cling film. Store them in the fridge
(for use the next day) or in the freezer for up to one month. More often than
not, the first one out of the pan is always less than perfect. The up side of
this phenomenon is that the cook get’s to eat it warm, straight from the pan
while the second and third are in progress. In practice, that first pancake
seasons the pan, leaving a light film of butter on which those that follow will
slide. Don't worry if your first attempts aren't perfect; you'll get better
with practice When you see how simple it is to whip them up from scratch,
you'll wonder why you never did it before.
FILLOAS DE LECHE
GALICIAN PANCAKES FROM NORTHERN SPAIN
Ingredients: serves
4
150g flour
300ml milk
300ml water
4 eggs
1tbsp melted butter
300ml milk
300ml water
4 eggs
1tbsp melted butter
1tsp grated
lemon zest
A
pinch of salt
50g sugar
200ml clear
honey
1tsp ground
cinnamon
Beat the eggs, milk, water, flour, grated lemon zest, salt
and melted butter together in a bowl. Leave to rest for 10-15 minutes.Rub a
non-stick frying pan with a little pork fat and place over a gentle flame. Pour
a little of the mixture into the pan to form a thin film. Fry on both sides
until golden and crisp around the edges. Remove and stack the pancakes on a
plate. Continue until all the mixture has been used up.
Mix the sugar and ground cinnamon and sprinkle over the
pancakes. Serve with honey.
CHIVE BLINIS WITH SMOKED SALMON
AND SOURED CREAM
Ingredients
150g plain flour
1 tsp salt
14g fresh yeast
150ml milk
2 free-range egg whites
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
2 tbsp olive oil
6-8 slices of smoked salmon
150g soured cream
Place the flour and salt into a bowl and crumble in the
yeast.
Place the milk into a pan over a low heat and warm through.
Do not boil. Pour the warm milk into the flour, mixing thoroughly to form a
thick batter. Set aside for one hour.
Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form when the whisk is
removed. Fold the egg whites and chives into the batter
mixture.
Heat a small amount of the olive oil in a frying pan over a
medium heat.
Add a spoonful of the batter and fry for 50-60 seconds,
until golden underneath, then turn over and cook for 30 seconds on the other side.
Remove the blini and place onto kitchen paper. Repeat this process with the
remaining batter. Keep the blinis warm.
To serve, place a spoonful of sour cream onto each blini,
top with a
Slice of smoked salmon. If you want to be really decadent,
add a spoonful of caviar and arrange on a large serving plate.
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