I know, I know..its not Shrove Tuesday but I personally think pancakes should be enjoyed all year round.
A long time ago there used to be a restaurant in Manchester City Centre called ‘The Dutch Pancake House’… oh my goodness…I loved this place. I used to go with my sister when we were younger. The pancakes were humongous and the plates portrayed Dutch scenes in blue and white. It was heaven.
You could have any topping you wanted, I always opted for cheese, tomato and pineapple. It was my go to concoction for pancakes and pizza (still is) i remember they had all sorts to choose from, probably hundreds of options. Bacon and maple syrup, no problem! Chicken Curry, sure why not! You could have sweet, savoury or both! Anything your heart desired.
Sadly The Dutch Pancake House shut down many years ago and the building was demolished. It is now just a happy distant memory in the eyes of many mancunians.
Which brings me back to pancakes, most people when discussing pancake day only have pancakes as a pudding. It has always baffled me because if you haven’t tried savoury pancakes you haven’t lived but thats just my humble opinion.
Pancakes are cheap to make and you probably have everything you need right there in your cupboard. Go on, have a quick look i won’t go anywhere whilst you check… do you have everything in? The recipe can easily be scaled up or down depending on how many you need to feed or how many pancakes you want.
Now i don’t often say you need a specific piece of kitchen equipment to make something but in this instance there is one thing you need to invest in, a good non-stick frying pan. You can use oil/butter/fry-light to grease the pan to your hearts content but if your pan is not non-stick, then chances are your pancakes will not freely come out of the pan. Its frustrating when this happens and a good non-stick pan will help with this tremendously.
Makes 6 Pancakes
100g Plain Flour – £0.04
2 Medium Eggs – £0.24
300ml Milk – £0.15
Pinch of Salt – £0.01
Total Cost – £0.44
Cost per pancake – £0.08
1) Sift the flour into a bowl, add the eggs, milk and pinch of salt. Whisk until smooth. If you prefer you can use a blender or stand mixer, just make sure your batter is smooth before moving onto the next step.
2) Pour a little oil into your pan. Technically with a non stick pan you don’t need the oil but it makes the pancakes look more aesthetically pleasing. The oil gives those little brown and black patches on the pancake against a lighter background.
3) When your pan is hot, pour the batter into the centre of the pan, pick the pan up (please be careful) and swirl the batter over the base of the pan.
4) It will take about 30 seconds to 1 minute for your pancake to cook so keep an eye on its progress and lift up the side of the pancake to have a sneak peak at how it is cooking. Once ready using a large slotted turner to flip the pancake over in the pan and then give the pan a quick shimmy to move the pancake to the centre
5) Whilst the second side is cooking add your toppings along the centre line of the pancake. Using the slotted turner, remove the pancake from the pan onto a plate. Lift the edge of the pancake and roll. This can be done on the pan but tends to end in burnt fingers so its best to put on a plate first.
6) To keep your pancakes hot roll with the filling and place in the oven on a low temperature whilst cooking the remaining pancakes.
Pancake Ideas…
For those with a savoury side…
Cheese and tomato
Cheese and ham
Bacon and maple syrup
Smoked Salmon
Spinach and Ricotta
Bacon and avocado
Pancetta, chicken and spinach
Vegetable Chilli and Cheese
Crispy duck
For those with a sweet tooth…
Sugar and lemon
Mars Bar and ice cream
Nutella and honey
Maple syrup
Banana and toffee sauce
Fresh berries and whipped cream
Ice cream and strawberry sauce
There are so many more possibilities. What do you have on yours? Please let us know in the comments.
Please remember costs are rough estimates and these will change depending on time of year or where you shop. Where possible supermarket own foods are used for costing purposes.
I hope you enjoy reading the blog and trying out these recipes. If so please give me a like on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and don’t forget to sign up on our contact us page for updates to the blog.
Quids In Cooking From Pot To Plate 