Shrove Tuesday means Pancake fun

The history:
Shrove Tuesday is celebrated today, on this last day before Lent. In earlier days there were many foods that observant Christians would not eat during Lent such as meat and fish, eggs, and milky foods. So that no food was wasted, families would have a feast on the shriving Tuesday, and eat up all the foods that wouldn’t last the forty days of Lent without turning stale. Pancakes became associated with Shrove Tuesday because they were a dish that could use up all perishable foodstuffs such as eggs, fats and milk, with the simple addition of flour.

Here is our recipe for lovely fluffy Pancakes. More of our tips and others can be found in today’s Herald Sun ‘Taste’ section. Hope you have a flipping lot of fun with these!

Relish Mama Pancakes
Makes approx 12 pancakes

225g (1.5 cups) Plain (all purpose) flour, sifted
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of bi carbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons caster sugar
50g unsalted butter, melted
300ml milk (or use buttermilk for extra fluffy pancakes)
1 eggs, lightly beaten
A little melted unsalted butter, in addition, to wipe the pan when cooking

Sift the flour, baking powder and bi carbonate of soda in to a large bowl, add the salt and sugar and then make a well crater. In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter, milk and lightly beaten egg. Pour this wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredient’s and with a balloon whisk, whisk until mixture is smooth and lump free. Allow to rest in refrigerator for approximately half an hour. Strain the batter if you find there are any lumps. If your batter is a little thick, simply whisk in a little more milk. Pour the batter in to a jug as it is easier to pour your batter in to the pan rather than spooning it.

Heat a heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, wipe the pan with some melted butter and pour in enough batter to make a pancake approximately 12cm in diameter.

Allow to set and cook on the first side for approximately 1-2 minutes or until golden and bubbles start appearing on the surface, then turn pancake over with a spatula and cook on the other side. The second side will need a shorter cooking time so stay close! Repeat for rest of mixture but add more melted butter to the pan should you need.

Nellie’s suggested toppings for pancakes:

* Sprinkled caster sugar with lemon wedges or freshly squeezed lemon juice
* Yoghurt or Ice cream with fresh berries
* Pure maple syrup
* Banana, split lengthways down the centre, with ice cream and pure maple syrup
* Caramelized plums, nectarines or figs served with yoghurt or Ice cream & pure maple syrup : to caramelize the fruits, cut plum, nectarine or fig in half, sprinkle with sugar & place cut side down in a hot frying pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until sugar melts and caramelizes.
* Pancakes can also be rolled up with berries, stewed apricots or sliced banana & cooked in a preheated oven on 180oC for 10 minutes. Then serve with yoghurt or Ice cream.

Variation’s :

* Using buttermilk in lieu of regular milk gives you a pancake that is tender, fluffy, and soft. It will give your pancake a thick and creamy texture with a rich tangy buttery flavor. *Buttermilk pancakes are definitely worth trying.
* Crepe’s can be made using the same batter recipe but with the addition of a little more milk. The consistency you are after should be like thin cream. If your batter is a too thick,
simply whisk in a little more milk. When cooking, pour enough of the thin batter to almost cover the base of your frying pan and immediately tilt and rotate the pan so that the batter
runs across the base. Due to the thinner consistency, crepes will have a shorter cooking time to pancakes.
*Pikelets can also be made using the same batter by simply reducing the milk quantity (to approx 185ml) and you can also add 1 teaspoon of baking powder to the dry mix. The consistency you are after should be thick but pourable.
* Sugar is added to give the pancakes a touch of sweetness, yet it also adds moisture and helps to give the pancakes their lovely golden brown color however, omit the sugar should you be making savoury pancakes.

Tips:

* Using a heavy based frying pan stops your pancakes or crepes from burning.
* Resting your pancake batter for half an hour gives the starch cells in the flour time to swell with the moisture so that when they burst when they hit the heat and this is what makes the
pancake light and fluffy. A pancake batter made using self raising flour does not need to be rested and if you do, your pancake will be heavier.
* Do not over whisk your batter as this will cause the pancakes to be heavy and tough.
* Please note, the first pancake is not usually great and may stick a little. You will get better as you go, I promise!
* Pancakes can be kept warm in the oven on 180oC if you want to serve them all at once to enjoy together with friends. If you have any leftover batter, this will keep overnight, covered in
the refrigerator. Simply give the batter a quick whisk before cooking.