Forget flipping! Ban boring crêpes! Give these two exciting pancakes a go this Shrove Tuesday!

 

Whilst everyone else is tossing “flat as a pancake” crêpes, lemon-soused and sprinkled in sugar or slathering Nutella with sliced bananas (all of which were sold out at the local supermarket) think different and hit the latest pancake trends this Shrove Tuesday.

Whereas past trends have been avocado/vegan pancakes and pancake art, this year, think savoury pancakes stacked with streaky bacon and drizzled with unctuous golden syrup; thank you Sabrina Ghayour.  OR if you’ve got a sweet tooth and can’t end your meal without a sweet hit try Japanese soufflé-style pancakes – an internet gourmet-isation! OMG! Simple to make and absolutely amazing to eat; like eating a cloud.

Sweetcorn griddle cakes

These savoury griddle cakes make for a great evening meal.  They can be totally vegetarian should you wish or deck them with bacon.  Heat is totally optional as is the sweet to drizzle over – we used golden syrup which worked really well at bringing out the sweetness of the corn.  We sprinkled some paprika over to add subtle warmth but chilli jam, sweet chilli sauce, sriracha or dried chilli flakes will work just as well.

Ingredients:

3 spring onions thinly sliced

1 large can sweetcorn drained (or 2 roasted corn on the cob)

150g feta cheese

1/2 bunch coriander

2 eggs

100ml milk

60g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 packet streaky bacon

oil for frying

optional: dried chili flakes, maple syrup, honey, chilli sauce

Method:

1st: Preheat the oven to 200ºC.  Place the bacon rashers onto an oven tray and bake until crispy.  Drain onto kitchen towel and reduce the heat to 100ºC.

2nd: In a large bowl mix the sliced spring onions, the can of drained sweetcorn, roughly chopped coriander and crumble the feta cheese in.  Add the flour and baking powder.  If using chilli flakes, add these now.  Season to taste but be careful as the feta and bacon will be salty.

3rd: Mix the eggs and milk together and stir into the dry ingredients. 

4th Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat with a splash of oil and spoon heaped spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan.  Fry in batches until golden brown on both sides and keep warm in a low oven whilst you cook the rest of them.

5th: Serve stacked with the bacon rashers balanced between them and drizzled with maple syrup, honey or chilli sauce.

Japanese Souffléd

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Pancakes

Begone crêpes! Flipping pancakes is a thing of the past as people turn to wobbling instead of tossing.  These super fluffy pancakes made with whisked egg white and cooked within a metal ring are twice the thickness of American-style pancakes but are extremely light in texture and wobble in a similar fashion to a soufflé.

Ingredients:

5 tbsp plain flour

1½ tbsp milk

1 tbsp melted unsalted butter

½ tsp vanilla extract

2½ tbsp caster sugar

2 large eggs; separated

¼ tsp cream of tartar or a few drops of lemon juice

Method:

1st: In a bowl, add milk, melted butter, vanilla extract and egg yolks.  Mix well.

2nd: Sift in the flour and gently fold in.

3rd: Add the egg whites and the cream of tartar (or lemon juice) to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk for 5 mins before adding the sugar.  Whisk until the meringue holds its form and you can turn the bowl upside down and the meringue will not slide out.

4th: Scoop out ⅓ of the meringue and add to the egg yolk batter.  Once this is full incorporated, add the remaining ⅔ of the meringue and fold this in gently until everything is a pale yellow and there are no visible white streaks.

5th: Either add butter or use oil spray to the inside of the ring moulds and the griddle / frying pan.  Heat the pan to a low/medium heat and fill the mould ½ the way up.  Add a tsp of water to the pan and close the lid.  I used an upturned pan to create a dome.  Cook for 4-5mins.

6th: When you see the pancakes have risen to the rim of the mould, they are ready to turn over.  Do this with a spatula and take care.  Add a teaspoon of water to the pan and cover for another 3-4 mins until the pancakes are cooked and golden brown on both sides.

7th: Gently, remove the pancakes from their mould.  Serve these warm with any topping of your choice.

Pancake gourmet-isation!