Nigella Lawson has shared her all-time favourite pancake/crepe recipe.
She tweeted, "I could eat all of these, but you might want to choose!"
And, while there are many options available for Shrove Tuesday (and any day, to be honest), including Scotch and Nutella pancakes, our imaginations were captured by Nigella's tried-and-tested family favourite.
Writing on her blog, Nigella explains, "It will never seem right to let the day go by without eating what my mother gave us on this day every year: thin, raggedy pancakes - for which you need my crêpes recipe - with ordinary white sugar (the sort that gives a gritty sweetness) and a fierce squeeze of lemon juice."
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Ingredients
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30 grams unsalted butter melted (plus more for frying)
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150 grams plain flour
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325 ml milk
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1 large egg
Method
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Melt a knob of butter and let it cool a little.
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Put flour, eggs and milk into a blender / bowl and whisk firmly.
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Pour the mixture into a jug and stir in the melted butter.
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Heat a shallow pan of about 20cm in diameter, ladle 2-3 teaspoons of batter into the pan then quickly hold it up and swirl, so that the batter forms a quick, thin pancake covering the base of the pan.
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After a minute, flip the pancake and cook for 30 seconds to a minute on the other side.
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Repeat until you have a delicious batch of pancakes!
Equipment
As well as the perfect mix, the key to delicious pancakes and crepes are the pan that you cook them in. If you make them often, you may want to invest in a pancake or crepe pan that helps you along the way.
Experts say you need a shallow pan that aids flipping and a non-stick surface and a flat metal base for quick heat distribution and even cooking.
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Read more of Nigella's recipes on her official website.
Nigella Lawson American pancake recipe
Another favourite of Nigella that's equally loved by fans and would make a perfect alternative this Pancake Day is her popular American pancake recipe.
Nigella says, "These are those thick, spongy American pancakes that are often eaten with warm maple syrup and crisp fried bacon.
"I love them with the syrup alone, but if you do want bacon, I think streaky is best. You can easily cook these pancakes by dolloping the batter onto a hot griddle (smooth, nor ridged, side) or heavy based pan."
No, YOU'RE drooling.
Here's how to make them.
Ingredients
225g plain flour
2½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
30g butter, melted and cooled
300ml milk
butter for frying
Pinch of salt
Method
The easiest way to make these is to put all the ingredients into a blender and blitz. But if you do mix up the batter by hand in a bowl, make a well in the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, beat in the eggs, melted butter and milk, and transfer to a jug: it's much easier to pour the batter into the pan than to spoon it. Heat a smooth griddle or pan on the stove. When you cook the pancakes, all you need to remember is that when the upper side of the pancake is blistering and bubbling it's time to cook the second side, and this needs only about 1 minute, if that.
Equipment
You can use the same equipment outlined above for Nigella's french style crepes for the American versions.
What's the difference between American and French pancakes?
The main difference between crepes and pancakes is that pancakes contain a leavening agent and crepes do not. Pancake mix contains either baking powder or baking soda and crepe batter is made with plain flour. Pancakes are thicker and fluffier as a result while crepes are thin and flat.
When is Pancake Day 2022?
Shrove Tuesday falls on the first Tuesday of March, which this year is Tuesday the 1st of March.