Follow our guide and your Pancake Day creations won’t fall flat

Squeezing the batter out of a bottle means you can

scribble a Mr Messy design on to a pan, which

is easier than trying to get a perfect round. Plus, the lacy finish has more crisp edges – the best bit

of the pancake. You can buy squeezy sauce bottles from hardware shops that stock kitchenware or just buy a bottle of sauce from the supermarket and empty it out – ones with a narrow, pointed

nozzle are best.

Serves four

INGREDIENTS

1 x 350g bag of frozen

raspberries

6 tbsp caster sugar 1 large banana, sliced 300ml crème fraîche A few drops of vanilla extract

or vanilla paste ½ batch of basic pancake mixture (see Page 6)

Butter, for frying Icing sugar and ground

cinnamon, to serve

METHOD

Tip the raspberries into a small saucepan and add four tablespoons of sugar. Heat gently, until the raspberries melt and release their juice. Take off the heat and stir in the sliced

banana.

Mix the crème fraîche with the vanilla extract

or paste and the remaining two tablespoons of sugar.

Put the pancake mixture into a squeezy bottle. Heat a frying pan and add a small knob of butter. Tip to coat the pan. When really hot, “scribble” the mixture on to the pan, squeezing out the batter in different directions. Cook for a couple of minutes, until golden underneath, then carefully flip and cook on

the other side. Keep warm while you cook the rest of the mixture. Lay a pancake scribble on a warm plate, dollop on some of the raspberry mixture and some vanilla crème fraîche. Dust with

cinnamon and icing sugar, if you like, and eat

immediately.

An extra egg yolk makes the pancakes very silky, but it’s not obligatory. Don’t be tempted to leave out the butter though: it’s there not just for flavour but to help stop the pancakes sticking. I use a cast iron pan to cook pancakes which, if I’m honest, is a bit heavy to lift, but I prefer not to use non-stick as it doesn’t last, and shouldn’t be heated to a high heat.

That said, lots of chefs use non-stick. It’s up to you.

Makes about 360ml batter, enough for 10-12 small (18cm) or six large (25cm) pancakes

INGREDIENTS

1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk (optional) 200ml milk (I use semiskimmed) Pinch of salt 100g plain flour

2 tbsp butter, melted, plus a

knob for cooking

Blender method

Blend the egg, egg yolk if

using, and milk with a pinch of salt. Add the flour, and blend again. Finally add the melted butter and give a

last whizz.

By hand

Sift the flour into a large bowl, and make a well in the middle. Beat the egg, egg yolk if using, milk and a pinch of salt together and pour into the well. With a

whisk, stir the liquid, gradually incorporating the

flour to make a smooth batter. Finally whisk in the

melted butter.

Resting the pancake batter

If you have time, resting the batter for an hour or so will make the pancakes lighter and more tender. You can even make the batter a day

ahead and store it in the fridge – don’t worry about a slight grey colour, it’ll disappear on cooking.

Cooking the pancakes

h Arm yourself with a scoop or ladle for pouring batter – an espresso cup will do. I have an American 1/8th cup that holds 30ml (two tablespoons). It’s the right amount for my small frying pan, making a thin pancake 18cm across. For a

larger pancake, 25cm

across, you’ll need 60ml.

h Stir the batter. It should

be the consistency of single cream. If it’s a bit thick, add two tablespoons

of milk or water.

h Heat a pan, one that is nice and smooth inside, over a medium high heat. Add a small knob of butter, and tip until it thinly coats

the pan: if you have a heatproof pastry brush, use it to make sure the butter is covering all the pan. Tip

any excess away. You probably won’t have to do this after the first pancake.

h When it is shimmeringly hot, scatter a few drops of

batter in the pan. They should sizzle, set and turn light golden underneath within 10 seconds. If not, heat the pan a bit longer.

h Pour in a scoop or ladleful of the pancake mixture, tipping the pan so

it coats the base evenly.

h Once the pancake is set and patched with teak underneath, loosen the edges and turn it over with a fish slice. Or you can toss it. It’s a useful technique for delicate pancakes as you are less likely to tear them, but it isn’t compulsory. Cook for a minute on the other side. Lift on to a board lined with non-stick parchment and repeat with the rest of

the mixture.

TIP To make wholemeal pancakes

Make the pancakes as above, substituting 100g wholemeal plain flour. You’ll find it doesn’t spread so well, so allow 40ml batter for each small pancake, 80ml for a

large one.