Celebrate Pancake Tuesday with these Perfect Pancake Recipes

The national pancake eating day is only few days away - it’s the one day of the year when it’s perfectly acceptable to throw food around the kitchen! Below we have shared some delicious pancake recipes from some of our authors, to be eaten at any time of the day!

 

My Gluten-free Kitchen Sweet Crêpes

 

Chef Gearóid Lynch refused to let the diagnosis of coeliac disease limit his enjoyment of food and so he created a variety of delicious, gluten-free adaptations of everyday dishes, which he shares in his first book My Gluten Free Kitchen.

 

This is a real family favourite in my house. The batter only takes minutes to prepare or it can even be made the night before. The beauty of using gluten-free flour for crêpes is that the batter doesn’t need much time to rest before cooking.

 

Makes 8 Crêpes

250g gluten-free plain white flour blend
25g caster sugar
¼ tsp salt
3 eggs
500ml milk
100ml water
50g butter, melted
to serve (optional):
2 tsp caster sugar
1 lemon, cut in half
maple syrup

 

Sieve the flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs, then pour in the milk and water. Mix with a hand-held mixer, whisk or in a food processor until a smooth batter is achieved with no lumps. Add 1 dessertspoon of the melted butter to the batter and mix it through fully.

 

Heat a crêpe pan or non-stick pan over a medium heat. Add a drizzle of the melted butter to the pan, then add a small amount of batter – you just want a thin layer covering the base of the pan. Cook the crêpes on each side until they are light golden. A spatula is handy for turning the crêpes. Once cooked, turn out onto a warm plate. Repeat the process for the remaining crêpes, adding a drizzle of melted butter to the pan each time.

To serve, sprinkle with a little caster sugar and a squeeze of lemon, or alternatively drizzle with a little maple syrup. Mixed berries also make a delicious topping!

 

Get Ahead

 

The crêpes can be kept warm by sitting a plate over a small saucepan of simmering water and placing parchment paper between each crêpe to stop them sticking together.

 

My Gluten Free Kitchen is available on our website, Amazon, Eason, Dubray and in all good bookshops nationwide.

 

The Brother Hubbard Cookbook: Semolina pancakes (beghrir)

 

Discover a new way of eating with The Brother Hubbard Cookbook’s fresh, pure flavours dedicated to sharing and happiness.

I first came across a version of these in Julio in Melbourne, where I spent many a Saturday making as many as I could manage, such was their demand. I originally thought they were a Moroccan specialty, but on my travels in the Middle East, I came across various incarnations of these wonderful, fluffy delights along the way. I even spent a long time one evening being mesmerised by a group of men making giant quantities of these in an open-air market in Aleppo, Syria.

These pancakes are so versatile and match well with sweet fillings as well as savoury. We were thrilled and honoured when the wonderful Donal Skehan created his own version inspired by ours. A few serving suggestions are listed at the end of the recipe.

As these are yeast based, they are handled in a slightly different way than more traditional pancakes. They are wonderful eaten immediately, hot from the pan, but they will still be delicious later on the same day, warm or at room temperature. They actually hold up very well to being reheated the next day if stored in the fridge (see the tips and tricks below) or can even be frozen for use another time.

These are the basic pancakes that you can use to build your dish – we’ve some suggestions below.

 

MAKES ABOUT 8 PANCAKES

250ml milk
250ml water
2 eggs
10g dried fast action yeast
½ tsp salt
250g fine semolina (the finest grade, almost flour-like)
sunflower or Irish rapeseed oil, for cooking

Put the milk and water into a pot set over a medium heat. Heat this for a few minutes, stirring – you want to get it to the point that it should be just a little warmer than your body temperature. Remove from the heat and pour into a large bowl.

Crack the eggs into the bowl, then add the yeast and salt. Whisk well. Still using the whisk, whisk in the semolina – a good energetic go will do it. The mix will get a little thicker. Cover the bowl with cling film and set aside to rest in a warm place, such as beside your oven or in a cosy corner of your kitchen. After a while, you will see the batter bubble up as the yeast works its magic. The batter should be ready after 20–30 minutes, once it’s good and frothy with lots of bubbles.

Place a non-stick medium frying pan (ideally 15–18cm diameter) on a medium-high heat and let it get fully heated. When it’s hot, add a tiny splash of oil and swirl it around the pan, then turn the heat down to medium.

Gently stir the pancake batter with a medium ladle, then add one ladleful to the pan or enough of the batter to cover the pan with 3–4mm depth of batter, swirling gently so the surface is fully covered. Cook for 1–2 minutes. You will see bubbles form in the batter and then it will set as the wet texture on the surface gradually disappears towards the centre of the pancake. When it’s set, lift it up and flip it over to sear for a few moments – this side should almost be undercooked. Give the pan a shake so the pancake moves from side to side. Take off the heat and remove the pancake onto a plate. Keep covered with a cloth while you cook the remaining pancakes, stacking the cooked ones together under the cloth so they stay warm.

TIPS AND TRICKS

These are best eaten fresh from the pan, but they can be stored in the fridge for 2 days and reheated and they will still come out perfect. To reheat, either cover and microwave them or else put them on a baking tray sealed tightly with tin foil and heat in a medium oven. They do need to be heated the full way through to be at their best. You can tell when they’re done when the firmed-up centre returns to a nice soft texture.

These can be served for breakfast, brunch or even as mini pancakes for dessert! Simply make them smaller and then serve, say, three per person, drizzled with honey, nuts and maybe some vanilla ice cream.

 

 

Sweet beghrir pancakes with rose mascarpone, berry and rose compote and fresh mint

 

A real delight on the plate – the tang of the mascarpone works beautifully against the sweet burst of the berries!

 

SERVES 4

 

1 batch of beghrir pancakes (above)

½ batch of berry and rose compote (below)

1–2 sprigs of fresh mint

a few tablespoons of praline (optional) or toasted chopped nuts

 

For the rose mascarpone cream:

1 x 250g tub of mascarpone

approx. 2 dessertspoons honey

½–1 tsp rosewater or orange blossom water or the seeds from 1 vanilla pod

 

Make the pancakes as per the master recipe on page 38 and warm up the berry compote.

 

To make the mascarpone cream, put the mascarpone into a bowl and gently stir in enough honey to give the mix a light sweetness and ½ teaspoon of rosewater. Stir well and taste, adding more of either ingredient if desired.

 

However, this should not be overly sweet, as you want the creaminess and acidity of the mascarpone to cut through the warm berry compote.

 

When ready to build the plates, place the warm pancakes on a warm plate, overlapping in the middle (like a Venn diagram). Divide the mascarpone across the plates, placing a dollop on the centre of each pancake (2 dollops per plate). Divide the compote across the plates, placing a large spoonful of the warm compote around the mascarpone. Tear some mint leaves over and serve immediately with some praline sprinkled over, if using, or even just some toasted chopped nuts.

 

Berry and Rose compote

 

A very easy and versatile recipe, this compote will hold in the fridge for up to 1 month.

 

MAKES 1 LARGE JAR

 

500g frozen mixed berries

200g caster sugar

1 tsp rosewater

 

Put the berries and sugar into a large pot. Put on a medium heat and slowly cook, stirring regularly until the sugar has dissolved and the compote has slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

 

Stir in the rosewater, then taste and add a little more if you feel it needs it. However, please note that whenever you use rosewater, it should not be overpowering – a little goes a long way, as all you ever want is a hint of rose.

 

The Brother Hubbard Cookbook is available on our website, Eason, Amazon and in all good bookstores.

 

Keep up to date with Brother Hubbard on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on their website.

 

 

Neven Maguire’s Complete Family Cookbook American-style Pancakes

These American-style Pancakes with Bananas and Maple Syrup from Neven Maguire’s Complete Family Cookbook are divine. We recommend adding streaky bacon on the side. This recipe is perfect for getting the whole family started in the morning and is one you will use time and time again. Watch the video below and get flipping!

 

 

 

Neven Maguire’s Complete Family Cookbook is available on our website, Eason, Amazon and in all good bookstores.

 

Keep up to date with Neven on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

 

 

The Ketogenic Kitchen: Banana and coconut pancakes

 

In The Ketogenic Kitchen Domini Kemp and Patricia Daly share with you exciting nutritional developments, which reveal that a diet low in carbohydrates and high in fat, in conjunction with the treatment recommended by medical professionals, offers new hope in the support of and protection against many chronic illnesses.

 

These pancakes were too eggy initially, but the rice flour helps to keep them real.

 

2 ripe bananas (320g with skins)
3 eggs (171g)
40g rice flour (40g)
25g desiccated coconut (25g)
½ tsp ground cinnamon (1g)
1 punnet blueberries (150g)
1–2 tbsp olive oil or butter, to fry (19g)

 

Mix the bananas and eggs in a blender until smooth. Whisk in the rice flour, coconut and cinnamon, then fold in about half of the blueberries. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and get a frying pan ready.

 

Heat up some olive oil or butter and ladle or pour in blobs of batter from a jug.

 

Let them set on one side, then turn them over. Cook on both sides and then pile up all of the cooked pancakes on a platter. Scatter with the remaining blueberries and serve

Makes 8 small but thick pancakes, which would serve 4–6.

 

The Ketogenic Kitchen is available on our website, Amazon, Eason, Dubray and all good bookshops nationwide.

 

Recipes for a Nervous Breakdown: Savoury Crépes

 

These Savoury Crépes are from Sophie White’s debut cookbook Recipes for a Nervous Breakdown and how to cook yourself sane(ish).

Crêpes were a major favourite during the van era. We were perpetually broke and always longing to go for a menu du jour in the endless inviting restaurants we passed. I love the French thing of a three-course meal in the middle of the day, though as I usually need a post-lunch nap after a bowl of soup and a sandwich, somehow I don’t think I have the constitution for regular menus du jour.

I believe that we are all entitled to irrationally hate one nationality, a kind of a xenophobic ‘get out of jail free’ card, and for years I had reserved mine for the Australians (so tanned, so confident, so annoying), but since residing in France (in a van with a British registration), I transferred my intolerance to our Gallic neighbours, as most of my interactions usually resulted in rapidly escalating screaming matches. Such is the frustrating and bureaucratic nature of living in France.

Though, love them or hate them, I have just this to say about the French: crêpes, pain au chocolat, cheese, Gauloises, Simone de Beauvoir, lime-flavoured Doritos, Rodin, fondue. Respect. They’re talented – who cares if they’re rude? They’ve earned it.

Makes a lovely light summer supper when served with salad.

Serves 2

(6 crêpes)
150g plain flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
270ml milk
30g melted butter
rapeseed oil, for frying
filling of your choice
leafy green salad, to serve

Filling suggestions:
ham, Gruyère cheese, fresh parsley and mushrooms
Parma ham, fresh figs and Parmesan cheese
smoked salmon, avocado and lemon
mascarpone, with chopped chives

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Place the flour and salt in a large bowl. Put the egg and milk into
a separate bowl and whisk until well combined.

Make a well in the centre of the flour and gradually whisk in the egg and milk mixture until you have a smooth batter with no lumps of flour.

Whisk in the melted butter.

Lightly oil a crêpe pan or small non-stick frying pan and place over a high heat. Speed is key when frying crêpes, as is accepting that you will most likely mess up the first one.

When the pan is hot, pour in about a ladleful of batter, then quickly tilt the pan to spread the batter evenly and thinly over the base. Cook for about 2 minutes on one side until little bubbles form around the edge and then, using a spatula, flip the crêpe and cook for a further 1 minute.

Remove from the pan. Lightly wipe the pan with kitchen paper and add a little more oil before cooking the next crêpe. Repeat until you have used all the batter.

Arrange the crêpes on baking trays. Cover half of each crêpe with the filling of your choice and fold over. Pop the crêpes in the oven to warm through before serving with a leafy green salad. Crêpes de la resistance!

 

Recipes for a Nervous Breakdown is available on our website, Eason, Amazon and in all good bookstores.

 

Keep up to date with Sophie on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on her website.

 

Have a flipping fantastic Pancake Tuesday from all of us at Gill Books!

 

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