Shrove Tuesday falls on the 21st February this year and more commonly known as Pancake Day. It is the cause of panic buying eggs, flour and milk and frantically reminding yourself of that rarely used pancake recipe! The celebration is rooted in religion and is always on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. This is the first day of Lent, a period of fasting and absolving for our sins or, for the less religious amongst you, a good reason to to give up chocolate and lose a few pounds.
Confusingly, Shrove Tuesday is determined by Easter, so it changes every year, hence the panic buying – you’re just never sure when it’s going to strike! Here at TLH Leisure Resort we have to be a little more prepared – after all we could have up to 1000 guests to prepare pancakes for. Our chefs have kindly made up some different types of pancake to give you some inspiration.
You could of course opt for the traditional lemon and sugar but pancakes lend themselves so well to many flavours, both savoury and sweet, so why not experiment?
Here is the basic pancake recipe:
- 100g plain flour
- 2 eggs
- 300ml semi-skimmed milk
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil or vegetable, plus extra for frying
- pinch salt
For the slightly thicker, fluffier American style pancakes this is the recipe you want:
- 250ml full-fat milk
- 2 eggs
- 4 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for frying
- 175g plain flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
The method is the same in each case, but pour a little more batter into the pan for the American pancakes. You can flip them over with a spatula once they start to bubble on the surface. Or toss them in the pan – always good fun to try, even if you have a few near misses to clear up!
And our favourite tip is for keeping them warm. Simply stack your pancakes on a heatproof plate and cover with foil. If you have a cast of thousands eagerly awaiting, then you can even reheat them successfully by warming them through in the over for 5 – 10 minutes at 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
What are your favourite pancake toppings?
Happy Pancake Day everyone!