Crepes

Makes approximately 15

I’ve previously posted my recipe for American-style fluffy pancakes, which are great for breakfast as a treat. But when it comes to Shrove Tuesday, crepe style pancakes are the only way to go for me.

As one of four children, we would eagerly await whilst our mother would churn out pancake after pancake for us, and I could invariably fill and eat mine quicker than the wait for every fourth pancake.

Nowadays, I tend to make a batch, keep them warm in a low oven and then serve them all at once, fillings on the table for everyone to help themselves. It placates my need to shovel them into my mouth as quickly as humanly possible. Honestly, it’s quite impressive.

As for the fillings, our favourite savoury combination is blue cheese (Alex James’ Blue Monday being our go-to), sliced pear, pine nuts, rocket and a drizzle of sticky balsamic vinegar. Ham and cheese is also an obvious winner. Or for a more labour intensive option, whole baby leeks, gently cooked until soft, wrapped in a slice of ham, rolled up in a crepe, and covered in a cheese sauce, then baked in an oven until golden. Mmmmmmm.
And for sweet? I rarely stray from the classic lemon and sugar.

And why only eat these on one day of the year? I’m all for having them on a regular basis.

• Ingredients:
• 165g plain flour (gluten-free if necessary; see note below)
• 3 large eggs
• 400ml milk
• Pinch of salt

Step 1: Ideally, sift the flour, into a large bowl, make a well in the centre and add the salt and eggs. Begin to beat with a whisk, gradually adding the milk, until
you have a smooth batter.

Step 2: Leave to rest for about half an hour, but give it all a good whisk/stir again before cooking.

Step 3: Using either a non-stick frying pan, or a crepe pan, place over a high heat. You want the pan to get really hot (you can then probably turn it down to a medium high heat, but this may take some experimentation) and then grease it; I think the best results come from quickly (and very carefully) wiping some vegetable oil around the pan using a piece of folded up kitchen paper (ensuring the greased paper is kept well away from the heat source!)

Step 4: Pour from a jug, or ladle a very thin layer of the batter, swirling it around the pan to make an even layer. As the pancake cooks, it will start to come away from the sides of the pan; a good indication it’s ready to turn. This should take about thirty seconds.

Step 5: Flip the pancake over (I like to use a palate knife) and cook for another thirty or so seconds. Turn out and begin the process again; oil, pour, cook, flip, cook.

N.b. I also made a gluten-free version for The Food Husband. Once the batter was made I had to add a little more of the gluten-free flour to get the right consistency, as I felt it was a little too thin. But otherwise I followed exactly the same steps. When cooking they came out slightly thicker so it made slightly less, but they tasted just as good.