Today is one of our favourite days of the year. The day where it is very much acceptable to stuff ourselves silly with pancakes and every kind of filling imaginable. We don't have a stove here at JAMI London HQ so we headed out to Spitalfields Market to get some tasty pancake goodness.
Every year thousands of people head down to Spitalfields for the Great Spitalfields Pancake Race which involves teams of 4 dressing up in ridiculous costumes racing around Shoreditch to raise money for charity. It is utterly hilarious and if you haven't been before then we definitely suggest it for next year!
If you are thinking about making some pancakes at home, here are some of out favourite pancake recipes:
Martha Stewart American Style
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Assorted toppings, such as butter, maple syrup, confectioners'
sugar, honey, jams, preserves, sweetened whipped cream, or chocolate
syrup
Method
Preheat oven to 200 degrees; have a baking sheet or heatproof
platter ready to keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven. In a small bowl,
whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, butter (or oil), and egg.
Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until just moistened (do not
over mix; a few small lumps are fine).
Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast-iron) or griddle over
medium. Fold a sheet of paper towel in half, and moisten with oil;
carefully rub skillet with oiled paper towel.
For each pancake, spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter onto
skillet, using the back of the spoon to spread batter into a round (you
should be able to fit 2 to 3 in a large skillet).
Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have
burst, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook
until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a
baking sheet or platter; cover loosely with aluminum foil, and keep warm
in oven. Continue with more oil and remaining batter. (You'll have 12
to 15 pancakes.) Serve warm, with desired toppings.
Ingredients
3 large free-range eggs
115 g plain flour
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
140 ml milk
1 pinch salt
2 knobs butter
3 tablespoons caster sugar
4 bananas
crème fraîche, to serve
Method
Separate the eggs, putting the whites into
one bowl and the yolks into another. Combine the plain flour, baking
powder and milk with the egg yolks and mix until it forms a smooth,
thick batter. Whisk the whites with the salt until they form stiff
peaks. Fold the whites into the batter – it is now ready to use. Heat a
non-stick frying pan over a moderate heat.
Pour some of your batter into the pan and fry for a couple of minutes
until it starts to look golden and firm. Loosen with a spatula and turn
or flip the pancake over. Continue frying until golden. Melt the butter
and sugar in a separate pan over a low heat until they form a caramel
sauce – about 3 minutes.
Peel and cut the bananas lengthways, add them to the pan and cook gently
until they are golden, turning after a few minutes. You might need to
alter the cooking time slightly, depending on how ripe your bananas are.
Serve them on the pancakes topped with a good spoonful of crème
fraîche.
240 g
plain flour
1
egg
1 tbsp
extra virgin olive oil
350 ml
milk
Nutella, as much as you like
sliced
bananas, as much as you like
icing sugar, for dusting
Method
In a bowl, combine flour, egg, olive oil, a pinch of salt and half
of the milk. Whisk the batter well, adding the remaining milk, a little
at a time, until the batter is silky smooth in consistency.
Add a ladle of batter to a hot non-stick skillet and evenly
smooth out. Cook until the batter sets and the underside is lightly
browned. Run a spatula underneath the crepe and flip over. Cook until
the other side is lightly browned. Remove from heat.
Smear nutella over the crepe and add the bananas to one side.
Then fold over the crepe and sprinkle with icing sugar. Serve
immediately.
Repeat the above process, to make the additional servings.
Ingredients
175 g
self-raising flour
½ tsp
bicarbonate of soda
2
eggs
150 g natural
yogurt
150 ml
milk
100 g
blueberries
½
oranges, grated rind only
oil, for greasing
butter, to serve
maple syrup, to serve
extra
blueberries, to serve
Method
Put the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl
then add the eggs and yogurt. Slowly whisk in the milk little by little,
whisking all the time until the mixture is smooth and frothy. Stir in
the blueberries and orange rind.
Pour a little oil into a large non-stick frying pan, then wipe
around the pan with a folded piece of kitchen towel. Heat up the pan
then carefully drop large spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan, well
spaced apart and cook until tiny bubbles begin to show on the top and
the undersides are golden around the edges.
Turn the pancakes over with a non-stick egg slice or palette
knife and cook the second side until golden. Take these hot cakes out of
the pan and keep hot in a folded teacloth while you cook the rest of
the mixture in the same way, greasing the pan with the kitchen towel
between batches.
Serve 3 or 4 per portion, stacked up on plates topped with a knob
of butter, a drizzle of maple syrup and some extra blueberries.
Did you go to The Great Spitalfields Pancake race or something similar? Let us know via Facebook or Twitter!
JAMI LONDON
