[photo source: Delish]
Tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday and that makes me a wee bit giddy. It became known as Pancake Day to us Brits because of the English habit of using up all the eggs, butter and milk in the house on Shrove Tuesday before the 40 long days of Lent.
For most people it’s now simply a good excuse to indulge in a feast of pancakes. Good enough for me!
If you’re wondering what that picture is about, let me enlighten you. It’s a pancake race. The tradition started hundreds of years ago with contestants, traditionally women, carrying a frying pan and racing to the finishing line while tossing the pancakes as they go. The winner is the first to cross the line having tossed the pancake a certain number of times. Traditionally, when men want to participate, they must dress up as a housewife (usually in an apron and a bandanna). Weird? Yes. Kind of awesome? Indeed.
Whether you call it Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras; it’s a great excuse for some splurging before the austerity of Lent.
English Pancakes
Typical English pancakes resemble crepes more than the traditional American pancake. They’re a thin, papery affair and taste perfect with slightly crispy edges, rolled up and drizzled with fresh lemon juice and a shake of white sugar. That’s how we always had them growing up at home. It’s the classic.
But who doesn’t love a bit of variety, eh? Shake things up a bit, be a bit cheeky? So, instead of presenting you with one serving suggestion, I give you three. I plan on making all of them for Dan and I to glut-out on.
1. Lemon and Sugar
[photo source: The Guardian]
Simply squeeze fresh lemon juice all over your pancake and dust with granulated sugar. Roll up the pancake and repeat.
2. Nutella and Banana
[photo source: gluttony is a bliss]
Spread nutella inside the pancake and fill with sliced banana. Roll up and drizzle the outside with more nutella. Dust with powdered sugar.
3. Spiced Caramelised Apple with Vanilla Ice Cream
[photo source: The Guardian]
Fry some slices of apple with a little butter, soft brown sugar and cinnamon until soft and caramelised. Put a spoonful of hot apple in the middle of a pancake, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and dig in.
Enjoy!
You can find a great basic English pancake recipe here.
