Posh Pancakes, how to make ‘em and how to toss ‘em! I know pancakes are traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday which isn’t until the 8th March, but I can’t resist posting this recipe which I tried to fob off at a recent dinner party as Crepes la mûre. “What’s that then,” said one of our plain speaking guests. “Posh pancakes?” The title didn’t do it for him, but the pancakes were delicious so I’m sharing it here. You can use almost any fruit, I just happen to have an abundance of blackberries. First off you need to make the batter. This will make about 8 pancakes including a small taster which I share with the dog. Batter 4oz (100g) plain flour. Half a Pint (250ml) of milk. 1 Egg Pinch of Salt (Sue’s tip: When I used to make pancakes for the kids I used extra flour to make thicker pancakes. This was a good filler and stopped them raiding the pantry when my back was turned!) Pancakes are traditionally served with sugar, lemon or oranges which in my view are still the best, but hey, we’re doing posh pancakes here so here’s the … The Posh Bit Gently stew half a pound or so blackberries in a little honey and water, (or better still brandy!). Keep warm until all pancakes have been cooked. Cooking the little blighters Take it from me, this is the hard bit! Having scraped fragments of charred batter from stove tops and kitchen floors on innumerable occasions, I am now something of an expert at pancake cooking! So here goes: Heat the frying pan and get it really hot.
Rub it all over with the greasy wrapper from a block of lard or margarine. (If you prefer just melt a small piece of fat or oil in the middle of the pan, but not too much!). When it is really hot pour in a couple of tablespoons of batter. (I have batter in a jug, makes it easier to pour). Tilt the pan to spread the batter. It should only take a minute or so to get the pancake brown. You can usually tell as the edges start to lift. Are You A Tosser? Most people are not in which case you’ll need to flip the pancake over by using something like a fish slice. If you can toss though, the job is done quickly and neatly with no tearing although I have to confess to spending considerable time picking dog hairs out of a few casualties that landed on the floor. Still, what Nearest & Dearest doesn’t know won’t hurt him! Making ‘em Posh Now you’ve cooked all the batter you can make full use of your artistic talents by spooning the blackberry mix onto the pancake, rolling, drizzling with a little honey, treacle or maple syrup and piping pretty little spirals of whipped cream along the top. I’d love to be able to show you the ones I made earlier, but alas there were no left-overs and I didn’t have the foresight to take photographs at the time, mainly due to the fact I’d forgotten what time guests were arriving and was running an hour late. By the way, since we’re on the subject, if you want to know more about Pancake Day and Shrove Tuesday, I’ve posted another article on my Folk on the Farm site.