Easy, fun and fabulus
I don't get it. Pancakes, crêpes if you are french, are easy to make, easy to cook, cheap and gorgeous. So why would you go and buy crappy powdered pancake mixture or ready-made from your local taste-killing supermarket. Don't! Just.... Don't!
Make this mix up in advance because it makes your life easier and you will get better pancakes. So, here is the proper way to make a great big pile of them.
Ingredients
- 500 grams plain flour
- 6 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tbs melted butter (not boiling hot!) or olive oil if you prefer.
- 700 ml semi skinned milk
- 300 ml water.
Put the eggs into a liquidiser or food processor. Something with some kick to it! Whisk them till bubbly.
Stir in the flour and the salt and beat till you have a very smooth paste – do not cheat! Keep going till it is nice and smooth. No excuse, it is a bloody machine doing all the work.
Start adding the milk bit by bit, beating all the time to make sure the milk is properly mixed in – the slower you add, the safer, to be honest. Once you have a thick batter going, add the rest of the milk and the water.
Now add the melted butter and whisk for a couple of minutes – till you are happy there are no lumps. Now, LEAVE FOR 2 HOURS! Or even longer. This allows the flour to properly get absorbed into the liquid. Just before use, give it an extra good whisking.
Heat up a non-stick pan to medium-hot. Wipe the bottom of the pan with a kitchen towel with a drop of oil on it. Really very little. Don't pour oil in, idiot!
Now, take a ladle of batter and pour it into the pan, tilting the pan around to help spread the mixture. How thin you want the crepes is up to you, but thinner the better, to my mind, but some like 'em thicker. Be prepared to fail for the first couple of pancakes while you get the pan the right temperature. You can scoff those while nobody is looking.
Loosen the pancake with a thin spatula and the toss the pancake over. And off you go – you should get about 20 or so out of this mix!
By the way, as long as the pan is light enough, tossing is easy, but you are only trying to turn it over, not throw it into orbit!
And that is it!
Serve with whatever you want - go nutty. My fave is still with sugar and Grand Manier, but whisky and marmalade, sugar and FRESH effing Lemon, Maple syrup, rum is good - actually, any spirit - ice cream (home made or bloody good) and anything else, sweet or savoury. Make loads, don't have dinner, get your friends around and PIG OUT!
Have a wonderful day on Shrove Tuesday, or any other day you want to have pancake fun.
