Camden New Journal - Food:Clare Latimer

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The Review - FOOD AND DRINK - Cooking with CLARE
Published: 19th August 2009

The art of making a good pancake means following a number of rules

Pancakes are flippin’ great!

Don’t worry, you can perfect your pancake- making technique in time for Shrove Tuesday – just stick at it, says Clare Latimer

I’M not quite sure why, but I love making perfect, thin pancakes.
There is something very satisfying about getting them right and then filling them or dousing them in something delicious. There are a few rules to making the perfect pancake and if you stick to them rigidly then nothing can go wrong.
Here they are:
• Make sure you have a really good non-stick pan about 25cm in diameter.
• Let the batter rest after blending for about 30 minutes.
• Use a good flour.
• Make sure that no flour is stuck to the edge of the blender.
• Have a saucer of oil by the hot pan and, using a piece of kitchen roll, just wipe the pan in between each pancake cooking.
• Measure the batter in a tablespoon and then tip into the pan and this will ensure that each pancake is the same size and will not be too thick.
• Expect to throw the first pancake away as it rarely works well.
• Make them in advance if you wish, as they freeze very well. Perhaps do them in batches of six if you want to use a few at a time.
• Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to savoury pancakes.

Standard Pancakes
Ingredients
(makes about 12)
125g flour
Pinch salt
Two eggs
10 fl oz milk
A little oil.

Method
Put all the ingredients into a blender on high for one minute, making sure that the flour does not stick to the sides. (See further recipes in case you want to add extra ingredients.) Leave to stand for 30 minutes. Soak a kitchen towel in a little oil and wipe round a small preheated frying pan. Pour one tablespoon of batter into a spoon; pour into the pan and tilt immediately to spread round the base. Cook on a high heat, turning once so that they are golden on each side. Continue until the mixture is used. Pile up the pancakes on an upturned plate and cover with a damp cloth.

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