Pans at the ready, it’s that time of year again. The best thing about a great pancake batter recipe is that once you have perfected it, you can change and adapt it with all your favourite flavours and toppings. You can easily make this batter the night before to save time in the morning. Have a little melted butter in a bowl and some kitchen paper so you can wipe the pan before adding a ladle of the batter.
Basic Pancake Batter
Makes 12-14 pancakes
- 110g of plain flour
- 2 large eggs
- 200ml of milk
- 75ml of water
- 2 tablespoons of melted butter
Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl and with a spoon make a well in the center. Break the eggs into the well and using a whisk slowly incorporate them with the flour. Don’t worry too much about lumps as they should disappear when you add the rest of the liquid. Gradually add the milk and water until you have a light batter.
Heat a little butter in a frying pan over a medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of melted butter to the batter, stir through to combine. Brush the pan with a little melted butter and then add a ladle full of the batter to the hot pan and move from side to side until it evenly covers the surface of the pan. Reduce the heat and cook for about a minute each side or until the batter begins to take a nice golden colour. Feel free to try your hand at flipping half way through! Serve straight away with your filling of choice. Alternatively you can cook all the batter off and save the pancakes for later. Simply layer the crepes on top each other, cover with some cling film and store in the fridge. They should heat up well in a microwave.
Toppings:
Nutella & Berries
Makes 1 portion
- 2 tbsp Nutella
- handful of berries of your choice
- Handful toasted hazelnuts, chopped
In honour of the inventor of the famous nutty chocolate spread, Michele Ferrero who died on Valentine’s Day at 91, spread the nutella over the warm pancake, pile on your favourite fresh berries and finish with a sprinkling of hazelnuts.
Strawberries & Cream filling
Makes 1 portion
- 6tbsp creme fraiche
- 1tsp icing sugar
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 3tbsp strawberry jam
- handful of strawberries, sliced
Mix the creme fraiche, icing sugar and vanilla extract together and set aside. Spread the jam on to the pancake then dollop the creme fraiche mixture on top and sprinkle the strawberries over the mixture before rolling the pancake and tuck in.
Caramelised Bananas & Dark Chocolate
Makes 1 portion
- 3 bananas, peeled and sliced lengthways
- 2tbsp demerera sugar
- knob of butter
- 100g dark chocolate, chopped
- hazelnuts, toasted and finely chopped
Coat the bananas in the sugar and set aside. Place the chocolate in a bowl over a small saucepan with simmering water and let it melt. In a fryingpan, fry the bananas on a medium heat in the butter until they have a nice colour on all sides. Spread the pancake with the melted chocolate, top with the bananas and sprinkle over the hazelnuts. Enjoy!
’Follow Donal: Vietnam’ debuts on Food Network in April. The show follows Donal on a culinary adventure to Vietnam’s capital city and then on to the Northern hill tribes of Sapa.
