Recipes from professional Chef Tallyrand:

• Pancakes •

Up in the air over pancakes . . . . .
This week sees two great dates in the culinary calendar: February 22nd is Saint Peter's Day, one of the Patron Saints of Bakers, and February 25th is Shrove Tuesday which is also known as pancake day in the UK. So what better way to kill two birds with one stone than with a pancake recipe or two?

Lets look first at pancakes and what they are, as they are different things to different people, cultures and countries. But they all have one thing in common - they are all 'cakes' cooked in a frying pan . . . hence the name! There are sweet ones, there are savoury ones, there are very thin ones like the French crepes, there are thick ones like the English make and there are really thick ones like the German Pfannkucken. Then there are the American type that are served for breakfast. Which recipe will I be giving you? Let's go mad and have all of them and you can choose which ones you prefer!

The final thickness of all the batters is very much down to experience, practice makes perfect as they say. It also depends on the flour one is using, a cup of one flour in the UK for example will probably yield a different thickness to a cup of flour in the US, this is due to the way the flour is processed. So again, how thick / thin your batter is, is decided in the end by making the batter and correcting accordingly.

But before moving on to the recipes, the key to any of them is a good pan which should be non-stick in some form. Be this a domestic Teflon style or a professional well seasoned cast iron pan <click here> - without a good pan any recipe is doomed to failure.

I have given suggestions on how each may be served, but I am sure you will find so many others that best suit how you like them. Needless to say you can also add flavouring (sweet or savoury) to the batters also: cocoa powder, chopped chives, bacon bits, sweet corn kernels, etc.

American Breakfast Pancakes

Ingredients

flour	2 1/2	cups
sugar	1	tbs
eggs	2	pc
buttermilks	1	lt
butter	4	tbs
baking powder	2	tsp
baking soda	1	tsp
salt		sq

Method

1. Place all ingredients into a bowl and whisk until it becomes a smooth lump free batter
2. Place into a jug you can pour from
3. Lightly oil or butter a pan and gently heat
4. Pour sufficient to form a 10cm circle
5. With a palette knife or similar, turn pancakes just as soon as they puff up (are full of bubbles that have not yet broken open)
6. Turn and cook the other side until golden brown
7. Serve immediately drenched with maple syrup, some crispy streaky bacon and some great breakfast (small) sausages

English Pancakes

This batter makes fairly thick, heavy pancakes. Traditionally served sprinkled with castor sugar and lemon juice and jam if you prefer. (Hub-UK - I can't resist golden syrup! )

Ingredients

flour	350	gm
castor sugar	50	gm
eggs	4	pc
milk	700	ml

Method

1. Whisk together the milk and egg
2. Dissolve in the sugar
3. Add sufficient flour to make a fairly thick (still able to pour) batter
4. Allow to rest for 30 minutes before using
5. Gently heat a pan, lightly oil or butter and pour in enough of the batter to cover the base of the pan (the thickness is an individual taste thing)
6. Gently cook until the base is golden brown (approximately 3 minutes)
7. Carefully turn over and cook for another 3 minutes
8. Remove, repeat and serve while still hot

Chef's Tip:

These are always traditionally turned over by tossing them - a technique that must be practiced to stop them folding, not turning or being tossed so high they stick to the ceiling!

German 'Apfel Pfannkucken'

Ingredients

flour	400	gm
castor sugar	50	gm
eggs	4	pc
milk	700	ml
apples		sq

Method

1. Whisk together the milk and egg
2. Dissolve in the sugar
3. Add sufficient flour to make a very thick batter
4. Allow to rest for 30 minutes before using
5. Gently heat an oven proof pan, lightly oil or butter and pour in enough of the batter to cover the base of the pan by a depth of 3 - 5cm
6. Gently cook until the base is golden brown (approx. 3 minutes)
7. Place sufficient peeled (optional) and cored apples around the pancake; add as much as you like, in a any pattern that you like. The apples may be slices, chopped, in rings etc and as thick or thin as you prefer.
8. Place in a pre-heated oven (170°C) until it has puffed up and cooked all the way through (approx. 10 minutes)
9. Remove from the oven, place on a serving platter and sprinkle liberally with icing (powdered / confectioner's) sugar
   

Crepes

The recipe for these are as many and varied as there are chefs! This one is the one I swear by and have used since 'pinching' it from a great (and famous) chef I once worked with . . . but my lips are sealed as to whom (well I did pinch his recipe! although I know he wouldn't mind, because like me he is all for sharing and extending other peoples knowledge). They say good things take time and this is certainly true with crepe making:

• The boiling of the milk caramelises the natural sugars in it (lactose) and allows for a significant decrease on the sugar content
• The resting of the mix allows the gluten in the flour to relax, making for more delicate crepes and ones that will not curl when made
• The mixture will seem thin initially, but will thicken once rested

Test the mixture before adjusting It should be easy to pour, but not so thin that it makes a crepe with holes. This unfortunately comes with experience and practice.

Ingredients

flour	250	gm
castor sugar	30	gm
eggs	4	pc
milk	650	ml
cream	200	ml

Method

1. Bring milk to boil and cool to blood temperature.
2. Combine flour and sugar
3. Add the eggs and 200 ml of the milk, mix well with a balloon whisk
4. Stir in cream
5. Stir in remaining milk and whisk until smooth
6. Rest for 1 hour before use
7. Thin if required with a little milk
8. Heat a good non-stick pan and lightly oil (I prefer to dip a paper towel in oil and just rub the base with it)
9. Pour a little of the batter in the middle of the pan and tip the pan in a circular motion until it is very lightly covered
10. Cook over a medium to gentle heat cooked (approx 1 minute), turn crepe over and cook for another 30 seconds
11. Remove and repeat until all the batter has gone
12. Maybe served as they are with sugar and lemon juice, spread with jam, filled and rolled with your favourite sweet or savoury fillings

Chef's Tip:

If you have added too much batter, allow it to cook slightly (until the base has started to solidify) and then just pour the excess back into the bowl

If holes appear add a little more batter, you will soon get to know how much batter to use for your size pan

If holes keep appearing on subsequent crepes the mixture may be too thin: sprinkle in some more flour and beat to a smooth batter again

How can you best serve these? This serving suggestion comes from a great e-pal in the States - Ruth of Illinois - who as you will see has a sweet tooth! Ruth suggests adding some cocoa to the crepe batter for a real decadent dessert!

bananas	3	pc
sugar	2	tbs
lime juice	2	tsp
hot fudge sauce	3/4	cup
cream	1/2	cup
sliced toasted almonds	1/2	cup

1. In a small bowl, combine diced bananas, sugar and lime juice, combine and allow to sit for 5 minutes
2. Place the warm crepes on a bench, spoon a generous amount of the banana mixture along the centre and roll up into a cigar
3. Place 2 - 3 crepes per serving on a warm plate
4. Top with generous amounts of the hot fudge sauce, whipped cream and finish with the toasted almonds

Enjoy and bon appetit . . . . .

Published 24 February 2003