FLIPPING heck, it’s Pancake Day on Tuesday!
And to make sure it’s not just a flash in the pan, we can show you how to pimp your pancakes from the usual sprinkle of sugar and lemon to something special.
Here, six top celebrity chefs reveal their favourite pancake recipes — for a better bit o’ batter . . .
Tom Kerridge — sweetcorn pancakes, dry-cured bacon and maple syrup
TOM says: “The sweetness of the sweetcorn goes so well with the strong, salted kick from the bacon in this recipe.
“It really is worth buying the best bacon for this dish as it will make the difference between a good and a great breakfast.”
Makes 4
YOU NEED:
- 200g canned sweetcorn kernels, drained
- 50g plain white flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 125ml milk
- 2 large eggs, separated
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons rapeseed oil
- 12 rashers of the best dry-cured streaky bacon
- Top-quality maple syrup, to serve
METHOD: Preheat the grill to high.
Put half the sweetcorn kernels in a food processor and process until broken down. Add the flour and baking powder and process again. Add the milk and egg yolks to the blended sweetcorn mix and blend until incorporated.
Transfer this batter to a bowl and stir in the remaining sweetcorn. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, then fold them into the sweetcorn mix. Season.
Heat the rapeseed oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a low heat. Add spoonfuls of the batter and fry for about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown and small bubbles appear on the surface. You can make the pancakes any size you like, but you will need at least 4.
Beware, however, as the mix will spread a little as it cooks. Cook the batter in batches if you need to and keep the cooked pancakes warm in a low oven until ready to serve.
Meanwhile, grill the bacon under a hot grill until crispy.
Reserve any bacon fat that comes from the grill and brush the pancakes with it.
Serve the pancakes and bacon immediately, with maple syrup drizzled over the top.
Nadiya Hussain — pineapple upside-down pancakes
NADIYA says: “Pancakes are a real thing in our house, we have them for breakfast every Saturday morning. If I dare suggest otherwise, the kids give me this look that says, ‘What kind of monster are you?’
“So to avoid that death stare and, of course, make them happy, we have pancakes. We particularly love these ones, which are topped with a pineapple ring and finished with a glacé cherry.”
Serves 4
YOU NEED:
- 250g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 medium eggs
- 170ml whole milk
- 2 tbsp oil, plus extra for greasing
- 435g tin of pineapple rings, drained
- 8 glacé cherries
- 6 tsp caster sugar
- Yoghurt, to serve
METHOD: Start by making the batter. Put the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl, then stir to combine them together. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs, milk and oil. Whisk until you have a smooth batter.
Place a large, non-stick pan on a medium heat with a small amount of oil.
Spoon 3 tbsp of batter into the pan and add a ring of pineapple and a glacé cherry in the centre. There should be space to cook two to three pancakes at a time.
Cook until the top looks dry and bubbles have appeared on the surface. This should take 3-4 minutes.
Add a sprinkling of sugar, turn over and cook for a few minutes until browned, pressing down the pancake edges so they touch the pan.
Remove from the pan and repeat until you have finished the batter.
Serve with yoghurt and a drizzle of honey if you like.
Rachel Khoo — buckwheat pancakes
RACHEL says: “The Americans have burgers and hotdogs, the English have sandwiches. The French? They have crêpes and galettes.
“Originally from Brittany, they have been adopted as the national snack and tiny booths serving hot discs of doughy goodness can be found on virtually every Parisian street, or so it seems. Try adding egg, cheese and ham to these.”
Serves 10-12
YOU NEED:
For the crêpes:
- 200g plain flour
- Pinch of sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 600ml milk
- Melted butter, for frying
For the galettes:
- 200g buckwheat flour
- Pinch of salt
- 600ml water
- Melted butter, for frying
METHOD: To make the crêpes, mix the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl.
Make a well in the centre and crack in the eggs. Gradually mix the ingredients together, adding enough milk for the batter to have the consistency of double cream.
Don’t overmix, as this will make rubbery crêpes. Refrigerate for a minimum of an hour, or overnight.
Heat a 15-18cm (6-7in) crêpe pan and brush with some melted butter. Stir the batter and add more milk if necessary to give it the consistency of double cream (it may have thickened on standing).
Pour 50-60ml of the batter into the pan and quickly swirl the pan so the batter covers the whole of the inside.
Cook for 1 minute, loosen around the edge with a spatula, then turn the crêpe over and cook for a further minute. Slide the crêpe out of the pan* then repeat to make 10-12 crêpes altogether, greasing the pan with butter between each one**.
To make the galettes, mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and gradually mix in the water, adding only enough for the batter to have the consistency of double cream.
Don’t overmix, as this will make rubbery galettes.
Refrigerate for a minimum of an hour, or overnight.
Before using, whisk again and add more water if necessary. Cook the same way as the crêpes.
- *Don’t worry – the first one always tends to come out a little wrong.
- **To keep the cooked crêpes/galettes warm, place them on a baking tray, cover loosely with aluminium foil and place in the oven at 120C/100C fan/gas ½.
Ravneet Gill — soufflé pancakes with berries
RAVNEET says: “These feel quite special to me. They were one of the technical challenges on Junior Bake Off.
“If you’re aiming to impress, give them a try.”
YOU NEED:
- 5–6 metal rings, each 9cm (3½in) in diameter and 5cm (2in) deep
- 2 large eggs
- 15ml/1 tbsp neutral oil, plus extra for greasing
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 50g plain flour
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 45g caster sugar
- 30ml warm water
- Icing sugar and
- seasonal fruit compote to serve
METHOD: Separate the eggs and place the yolks into one large bowl, the whites in another.
Whisk the oil with the yolks, vanilla extract and milk.
In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, cornflour and baking powder. Sift the dry ingredients over the yolk mixture and whisk in well.
Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, then whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, whisking constantly until the mixture is stiff and glossy.
Fold this gently into the egg yolk mixture.
Grease the metal rings with oil. Take a deep frying pan you have a lid for and set it over a medium heat. Lightly oil the pan and put the rings in.
Fill each one with batter to just over half way. Cook over a medium heat until bubbles start to appear on the surface.
Pour the warm water down the edge of the pan so it runs outside the rings and place the lid on top. Reduce the heat to low and steam for 8 minutes.
Remove the lid. The water should have evaporated now. Flip the pancakes over to brown the other sides briefly.
Remove the pancakes from the rings, sift over icing sugar and serve with some seasonal fruit compote.
- Sugar, I Love You, by Ravneet Gill,, (Pavilion Books) is out now, £20.
Jamie Oliver — Granola Dust pancakes
HE believes pancakes are best served with a sprinkle of his new Granola Dust, a mega-mix of oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruit. It also makes a mean pancake batter.
Top your pancakes with fruit for a healthy version packed with goodness and flavour. This recipe is easy peasy.
Makes 2–3
YOU NEED:
- 2 heaped tbsp Granola Dust
- 1 heaped tbsp wholemeal self-raising flour
- 1 banana
- 1 egg
METHOD: Mash the banana and crack the egg into a bowl.
Beat the Granola Dust and flour together with the banana and egg.
Then cook your pancakes in a frying pan until golden on both sides.
The Hairy Bikers — American-style pancakes
THEY say: “Both of us like plant-based milk. It’s a great thing to have in the store cupboard and it really does make light, fluffy pancakes.
“Make sure the pan you have is completely non-stick, or use a really well-seasoned, cast-iron pan. Take care when cooking the pancakes and don’t flip them too soon or they may crack.”
Makes about 16
YOU NEED:
- 200g plain flour (or spelt or wholemeal)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 300ml plant-based milk
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- Coconut oil
- Maple syrup and Fresh berries to serve
METHOD: Mix the flour with the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in a generous pinch of salt. Mix the milk with the vinegar and stir — it should thicken slightly. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine, but try to keep mixing to a minimum.
Heat a tablespoon of coconut oil in a non-stick frying pan or a cast-iron pan, pour it into the batter and stir.
Add some more coconut oil to the pan. Keep the heat at medium to high and spoon 4 small ladlefuls of batter on to the pan, making sure they are well spaced out.
When they look set around the edges and large bubbles have appeared, carefully flip one of them over. If it is a deep brown, flip the rest and cook on the reverse side for another minute.
Remove and set aside while you cook the rest of the pancakes in the same way. Continue until you have used up all the batter, adding a little more oil to the pan each time. Serve with plenty of maple syrup and some seasonal berries.
- The Hairy Bikers’ Veggie Feasts by, Si King and Dave Myers, is out now £14.99.
