The Blog!

Pancake Day!

It’s here! Pancake day, how do you like yours? Personally I prefer them with just sugar and lemon, but with cinnamon in the mixture!

Before creating Vivoo Creative I was a Chef for many years in Nottingham, South France, Spain and Wales, and I still now absolutely love cooking! Pancakes are in fact my most favourably food!!! Simple to create but can be filled with soooo many different ingredients!
Don’t buy the packet stuff, pancakes have a really really simple ingredients;

110g/4oz plain flour, sifted
pinch of salt
2 eggs
200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water
50g/2oz butter

Simples!

Method
Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl with a sieve held high above the bowl so the flour gets a airing. Now make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it. Then begin whisking the eggs – any sort of whisk or even a fork will do – incorporating any bits of flour from around the edge of the bowl as you do so.

Next gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking (don’t worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk). When all the liquid has been added, use a rubber spatula to scrape any elusive bits of flour from around the edge into the centre, then whisk once more until the batter is smooth, with the consistency of thin cream. Now melt the 50g/2oz of butter in a pan. Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a bowl anduse it to lubricate the pan, using a wodge of kitchen paper to smear it round before you make each pancake.

Now get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium and, to start with, do a test pancake to see if you’re using the correct amount of batter. I find 2 tbsp is about right for an 18cm/7in pan. It’s also helpful if you spoon the batter into a ladle so it can be poured into the hot pan in one go. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter. It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it’s tinged gold as it should be. Flip the pancake over with a pan slice or palette knife – the other side will need a few seconds only – then simply slide it out of the pan onto a plate.
Stack the pancakes as you make them between sheets of greaseproof paper on a plate fitted over simmering water, to keep them warm while you make the rest.

Styles

• Wrap style individual pancakes wrapped round a filling and daten separately.
• Galette style filling put in middle and four edges folded in to form a square. Sometimes topped with fried egg.
• Cannelloni style wrapped round filling, placed side by side in dish, covered in sauce and baked.
• Lasagna style layered with filling, topped with sauce and baked. Serve cut into wedges.
• Spring roll style = filled and wrapped as spring roll, dipped in egg wash, rolled in breadcrumbs and deep fried.

Filling ideas

Create your own! there is endless possibility’s with pancake fillings!