Felicity Cloake's Perfect Pancakes

It’s such a shame we only make pancakes once a year in this country – they seem to have been a bit of a favourite in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and no wonder; surviving recipes are laden with egg yolks, cream and sweet wine. These days we tend to favour more austere recipes to use up our eggs before the Lenten fast – although Australian food writer Jill Dupleix makes a brave stab at tradition with her rich, rum-soaked numbers. I prefer a plainer pancake, though – all the better to anoint with lemon juice and scatter with crunchy sugar.

"Treat the first pancake as an experiment; it ususally goes wrong, which is an excellent excuse to treat it as a cook's perk."

While Jill and Telegraph writer Xanthe Clay beef up their batter with melted butter, Good Food magazine adds a dash of oil to the mix – the butter is nicer, but I think you can achieve the same effect by cooking them in a buttered pan instead. I do take a tip from the two ladies and use an extra yolk, however, which lends the pancakes a depth of flavour without that slight toughness that egg white imparts. Allowing the batter to stand for 30 minutes, as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall suggests, gives the starch a chance to soak up water, and helps get rid of any air bubbles, both of which improve their texture.

Although Good Food and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall counsel cooking the pancakes over a moderate heat, I prefer to follow Professor Peter Barham, physicist and adviser to Heston Blumenthal, in getting the pan really hot, because I like mine thin and crisp – you can turn it down before cooking if you prefer a softer finish. Spread the batter as thin as possible for delicately lacy edges – and treat the first pancake as an experiment; it usually goes wrong, which is an excellent excuse to treat it as a cook’s perk. These are also good wrapped around a creamy seafood filling, stuffed with spinach and ricotta and gratinated – or slathered with chopped banana and chocolate sauce. Versatile, eh?

What you'll need

MAKES ABOUT 8

1. 125g plain flour

2. A pinch of salt

3. 1 large free-range egg

4. Plus 1 large egg yolk

5. 225ml whole or semi-skimmed milk

6. 30g butter, softened

What to do

1. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and add a pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre, and pour the egg and the yolk into it. Mix the milk with 2 tablespoons of cold water and pour a little in with the egg.

2. Use a balloon whisk to whisk the flour into the liquid ingredients, drawing it gradually into the middle until you have a smooth paste the consistency of double cream. Whisk the rest of the milk in until the batter has more of the consistency of single cream. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

3. Heat the butter in a crêpe pan or a 20cm non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat – you only need enough fat to just grease the bottom of the pan. It should be hot enough that the batter sizzles when it hits it.

4. Spread a small ladleful of batter across the bottom of the pan, quickly swirling to coat. Tip any excess away. As it begins to set, loosen the edges with a thin spatula or palette knife, and when it begins to colour on the bottom, flip it over with the same instrument and cook for another 30 seconds. (If you’re feeling cocky, you can also toss the pancake after loosening it: grasp the handle firmly with both hands, then jerk the pan up and slightly towards you.)

5. Pancakes are best eaten as soon as possible, before they go rubbery, but if you’re cooking for a crowd, keep them separate until you’re ready to serve by layering them up between pieces of kitchen roll.

Felicity's Fortnum's Favourites

Rumtopf

''For all my dreams of walking in the mountains in the midsummer sunshine, gorging myself silly on wild berries as I go, London in February demands something a little more warming than mere fruit – which is where this traditional Germanic “rum pot” comes in. It’s heavenly drizzled over warm pancakes, though given the booze, perhaps more one for a weekend breakfast!''

Rose Petal Jelly

''As a June baby, I love roses in all forms, from big blowsy blooms to Fortnum’s chocolate creams, but this rose petal jelly, so prettily pink and delicately perfumed, feels like a jar of pure sunshine in the dull days of winter. As well as scones and cakes, it’s utterly lovely on pancakes, perhaps with a dollop of yellow clotted cream if you’re feeling particularly indulgent (I am).''

Potted Welsh Rarebit

''I’m not saying I go all out on Shrove Tuesday, but I do tend to eat pancakes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and cheese always features in at least one of these meals, the stronger the better. This Welsh rarebit, punchy with mustard and mellow with ale, slathered on to a pancake (or two) and then popped under the grill until it browns and bubbles, makes for an excellent lunch with a crisp green salad.''

Sugar Pit Bacon

''It’s hard to think of anything that doesn't pair beautifully with these deliciously salty-sweet rashers, but at this time of year, a pancake feels like a very suitable partner – with maple syrup, mustard or marmalade (just me?) if you’re eating them for breakfast, a handful of crunchy leaves at lunchtime, and slathered with caramelised onions and melted cheese for dinner. (A fried egg, of course, goes well with all of the above. It always does.)''

Ultimate Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

''Pure unabashed indulgence feels apt on Fat Tuesday, as it’s known elsewhere, so having finished off the last of the day’s batter in a final triumphant batch of pancakes, I tend to pile them on to one big plate, sit back and let everyone pour slightly too much salted caramel hot chocolate sauce on top. Ice cream too is altogether ridiculous, but we’ll have it anyway. It’s only once a year after all.''

Inspiration

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