Absolutely Topping Ideas for Pancakes!

To accompany my post of pancake recipes (including the gluten-free crèpes above which I actually prefer to the gluteny ones) here are some good things to serve on them, although they will also work on waffles, French toast, normal toast, brioche, fingers and so on.

Sauces for Pancakes

Sticky Toffee Sauce

125g butter
225g soft dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
175ml double cream

~   Melt together the butter and dark brown sugar, stirring all the time.
~   Add the vanilla and cream and stir till merged.
~   Bring to a fast simmer but do not boil.
~   Use immediately or cool and re-heat gently to use (if the butter separates out when reheating add a little cold cream and stir it in. The sauce will immediately re-emulsify.

Banoffee Sauce

Just slice a banana or two and sauté in a little butter till turning golden.  Stir in some of the above Sticky Toffee Sauce.

Apple Cider Sauce

175g sugar
300ml cider

5 Bramley apples

~   Bring the cider and the sugar to a boil, stirring till the sugar has dissolved.
~   Turn down a little simmer and cook to a light golden brown – about 10 minutes.

~   Peel and slice the apples, add to the pan and return to a boil.
~   Turn down the heat, cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes stirring from time to time. The apples will naturally break down into a kind of chunky sauce which is why I recommend using Bramleys.
~   When all cooked and mushy beat with a wooden spoon to achieve your ideal apple sauce texture.

Caramelised Pineapple & Rum Sauce

450g granulated sugar
Small can (227g) pineapple in fruit juice
50ml rum or Malibu

~   Drain the pineapple setting aside the juices.
~   Coarsely chop the pineapple.
~   Put the fruit juice right beside the stove.
~   In a small heavy pan over medium heat stir together the sugar and half a cup of water till the sugar is dissolved completely.
~   Turn up the heat and boil the sugar, watching it all the while but not stirring at all, but you can carefully swirl the pan a bit as it takes on colour.
~   Watch carefully.
~   As soon as it reaches a lovely rich golden brown caramel colour carefully pour in the fruit juice.  This will splatter a bit so stand back. Stir over the flame till the caramel, which will have hardened, melts again.
~   Stir in the chopped pineapple, turn down the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes till the pineapple is a little darker.
~   Away from the heat stir in the rum or Malibu.
~   Cool the sauce and then chill till needed.

Dark, Milk or White Chocolate Caramel Sauce - all delicious

100g granulated sugar
50ml wate
150ml double cream
90g coarsely chopped dark, milk or white chocolate
pinch of salt
 tsp vanilla extract

~   Set the cream beside the stove.
~   In a deep saucepan over low heat stir together the sugar and the water till the sugar is dissolved and then bring to a boil.  Don’t stir any more but when it begins turning golden you can swirl it about a bit to even out the colour.
~   Cook to a deep golden brown watching carefully and swirling occasionally.
~   When you are happy with the colour add the cream and stir over low heat till the caramel which will have hardened has melted back into the cream.
~   Add the chocolate and stir till completely melted and mixed into the sauce.
~   Add the salt and vanilla extract and mix in.

Fruit Coulis - a slight recipe!

soft fruits such as berries or ripe peaches
sugar (approximately half the weight of the fruit)

~   Put the prepared fruit in a small saucepan.

~   Add the sugar to the fruit.
~   Simmer the fruit, helpfully giving it a squash now and then – you could add a dribble of water to encourage the sugar to melt if the fruit isn’t very juicy.
~   Strain through a fine nylon sieve pushing on the fruit debris to extract as much coulis as poss.
~   Cool, cover and chill till needed.

Syrups for Pancakes

Honey and maple syrup are two syrups commonly used with pancakes, and no wonder, but other ones work well too for instance Coffee Caramel Syrup here.

 Butter

Just a knob of creamy, probably salted, butter melting onto hot pancakes is a lovely thing or dry flavouring the butter first with whatever you fancy! Cinnamon, toasted nuts, crushed caramel, vanilla sugar, all spring to mind. See here for how to make all sorts of flavoured butters.

Incidentally the butter in my picture is melting on a pancake which has been sprinkled with panko crumbs for gorgeous crunchy butter and sauce catching surface. See here more for panko ideas.

Top Pancakes with Preserves

Here’s an easy one – just top your pancakes with a spoonful of lemon curd, jam, marmalade or similar. 

Creamy Toppings for Pancakes

These can be with or instead of my other suggestions and include ...

~   Whipped Cream (maybe with a little alcohol whipped in, maybe not)
~   Clotted Cream
~   Sour Cream

~   Ice cream (speaking of which have a look here at my book on a wonderful no-churn ice cream method with over 100 recipes)

 ~  Greek yogurt – plain, fruit, honeyed etc.
~   Cream cheese.
~   Custard!

Sprinkles for Pancakes

Finish off your dish with a scattering of ...

~   Chopped, possibly toasted, nuts or even salted nuts if serving, for instance, a caramel sauce.
~   Toasted Coconut (see here for how to toast it and also how to vastly improve desiccated coconut)
~   Chopped or grated chocolate.
~   Crunched up granola!
~   Crunchy caramelised bacon – brush smoked streaky bacon rashers with maple syrup and cook on a baking tray under a hot grill to crisp. Cool and then sprinkle.

~   Crunchy sea salt, perhaps, with caramel or dark chocolate sauces.

Or, of course ...

Fresh Fruit on Pancakes!

Lots of ideas for Pancakes on my Pinterest Board

Pancake Day ~ and the rest of the year! 

Happy Pancake Day!

How to Make All Sorts of Pancakes for Pancake Day (and the rest of the year!)

Here's a few suggestions for the big day and for throughout the year, of course!

French Style Crèpes

As we think of them now – they used to be the “normal” pancakes my Mummy used to make on Pancake Day! This makes approx. 6 depending on the size of your pan.

100g plain flour
pinch of salt
1 egg
300ml milk
50g butter – melted

~   Stir together the salt and the flour and make a well in the middle.
~   Break the egg into the well and start whisking it in gradually adding the milk till a batter the consistency of single cream is achieved.
~   Stir in the melted butter.
~   Lightly grease a frying pan, bring to good heat and ladle in about 2 tablespoons of batter.
~   Roll the pan to spread the batter thinly and cook till the underside is golden.
~   Turn with a deft flip of the wrist or more carefully with an implement.

Traditionally, of course, these are served sprinkled with sugar and lemon juice for Pancake Day but are good filled with all sorts of sweet or savoury fillings such as this one filled with sugary sautéed apples.

Lovely Alternative (gluten free - bonus!) Pancakes

These are a great alternative to the above crépes; they are crisp and nutty and good for you! Make them the same way as above replacing the flour with 100g buckwheat flour.  The only difference is that it is a good idea to chill the batter for an hour or two before stirring in the cooled melted butter and proceeding with the recipe.

Thick Fluffy American Style Pancakes

– makes about five 3" pancakes.

120g plain flour
pinch salt
1 tbsp sugar
a rounded teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
100ml milk
a little vegetable oil

~   Stir together the first 4 ingredients.
~   Male a well in the middle of the flour mixture.
~   Break the egg into the well.
~   Gently whisk the egg into the flour and, as it thickens, gradually add the milk, still whisking, till you have a thick but pourable batter.  This may or may not take all the milk, or might even need a tad more, depending on the make and age of the flour.
~   Heat a non stick frying pan and carefully, using a piece of paper towel, smear the surface with a little cooking oil.
~   When the pan is hot and greasy pour a 3" circle of batter in the pan and cook till the surface is pitted with burst bubble holes.
~   Flip or turn the pancake and cook till the other side is golden.

If, like me, you enjoy a crunchy contrast cook each pancake in a spoonful of hot oil (rather than in a lightly greased pan) and you will end up with crisp frazzled edges like these.

Serve immediately or keep in a warm oven till all are done so everyone can eat together.  Very often these are served with smoked bacon, maple syrup and butter but are good with all sorts of things.

Pancake Additions ...

When adding things such as fruit or nuts or chocolate do it this way ...

~   Pour the pancake batter into the pan.
~   Immediately sprinkle your addition evenly sprinkle over the surface. This means that whatever you have added won’t burn as the first side cooks.
~   Drizzle a little more batter over the additional ingredient.
~   Continue as usual.  

 Possibly Strange Pancake Variations

~   I have made this style of pancake with leftover porridge and they are very good indeed which is helpful for me as I dislike the texture of porridge and this helps me get my oats. 

~   Different liquid can be used instead of milk as in this Tomato Soup Pancake!

~     Flourless Banana Pancakes 

I haven’t tried these as I am bananaphobic but they sound like a good idea, this is what I understand you do. 

~   Mash up a large ripe banana.
~   Beat together 2 eggs.
~   Stir the eggs into the banana and make pancakes with the result.

If I did like bananas I would add a drop of vanilla extract.

Chinese Spring Onion Pancakes

These are really a kind of bread but I thought I’d just mention them as they have the “P” word in their title.  They are also known as Tsung yu Ping - recipe here.

Leftover Pancakes and Batter

If you are familiar with this blog you know how I hate to waste food and have even written a book on delicious ways to use up leftovers!

If you have a little leftover batter when making either of the above drizzle it into the pan and make yourself a Cook’s Treat.

Leftover Pancakes can be gently reheated in the pan you cooked them in or fried till crisp - read more about leftover pancakes here.

Delicious pancake topping ideas here.

And ...

Lots more pancake ideas on my Pinterest board ...

Pancake Day ~ and the rest of the year! 

Lovely Alternative (gluten free - bonus!) Pancakes ~ Galettes de Sarrasin

I've been racking my brains (such as they are) to think of a good idea relating to pancakes for Shrove Tuesday, and I've thought of something entirely yummy, worthwhile and useful to write about which is also relevant – Galettes de Sarrasin.

I ate these wonderful Breton buckwheat pancakes years ago when in France and then promptly forgot about them till a recent trip where a scallop and leek galette I dined on in Quimper, Brittany was one of the finest meals of my life.

These are crèpe type pancakes, similar to those my Mummy served on Pancake Day, and not at all similar to American style thick fluffy pancakes.  They have a lovely light and crisp texture, a delicious nutty flavour and, as a bonus, they are gluten free! 

I decided to try and reproduce my wonderful meal, made my own Scallop and Leek Galettes and they worked a treat. The only thing missing was the lovely sunshine, the pretty little walled town and my good friend Carol.  Apart from that – perfect!

Buckwheat Pancakes – about 6 pancakes depending on your pan

100g buckwheat flour

pinch of salt

1 egg

300ml milk

50g butter – melted

~ Stir together the salt and the flour and make a well in the middle.
~ Break the egg into the well and start whisking it in gradually adding the milk till a batter the consistency of single cream is achieved.
~ Chill for a couple of hours then stir in the melted butter.
~ Proceed to make pancakes as per usual, ie. lightly grease a frying pan, bring to good heat and ladle in about 2 tablespoons of batter.
~ Roll the pan to spread the batter thinly and cook till the underside is golden.
~ Turn with a deft flip of the wrist or more carefully with an implement.

I cooked the Scallop and Leek Filling in the same way as I did the salmon here. 

These pancakes are excellent with the traditional sugar and lemon of our childhoods and lend themselves to pretty well any filling you can dream up, savoury or sweet including, of course, delicious leftovers.

If you are interested, in my standard American style Pancake Recipe see this post from Pancake Day last year.

The normal crèpe recipe my Mum used is pretty well the same as the buckwheat recipe above but with plain flour instead of buckwheat and maybe a tad more milk.

 

And here is a picture of an enormous Caramel Crèpe I ate a while back, as it happens this was in France too! 

Although today is known throughout Britain as Pancake Day it is, of course, Shrove Tuesday and is particularly associated with pancakes as they are an ideal way to use up sugar, eggs, milk etc. that we will, of course, be spurning for the next 40 days of Lent.  

Happy Pancake Day!

Happy Pancake Day!

~  Menu  ~

Butternut & Chilli Hash with a Poached Egg

Very small glass of red

Leftover Pancake Batter

Coffee

Last night I cooked a full on roast chicken dinner for the menfolk.  I often do that because a) they like it, b) it’s cheap (£5 for a 2kg chicken), and c) there are loads of leftovers.  

They have all the traditional stuff but for me, I always cook roasted butternut squash with red onions and chilli flakes to which, last night, I added a couple of parsnips.  Delish, but not so delish I could eat it all!

And so for lunch today I tipped the remains of my roasted veg into a hot pan, lightly mashed and pressed it into a cake-ish form and fried it till hot and golden.  I then ate it topped with a poached new laid egg (see here for info on poaching eggs) and finished with a few leftover croutons crumbled over it to provide some crunch.

Pancake Day today, of course, which to me means the yummy delicate crèpe type pancakes my Mummy used to serve with lemon and sugar.  However my real man begged to differ and also needed breakfast before going to work so I made equally viable thick American style pancakes with bacon and maple syrup.  This too is yummy.

My Standard Pancakes Recipe

This makes about five 3" pancakes …

120g plain flour

pinch salt

1 tbsp sugar

rounded teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

100ml milk

a little vegetable oil

~   Stir together the first 4 ingredients.

~   Male a well in the middle of the flour mixture.

~   Break the egg into the well.

~   Gently whisk the egg into the flour and, as it thickens, gradually add the milk, still whisking, till you have a thick but pourable batter.  This may or may not take all the milk, or might even need a tad more, depending on the make and age of the flour.

~   Heat a non stick frying pan and carefully, using a piece of paper towel, smear the surface with a little cooking oil.

~   When the pan is hot and greasy pour a 3" circle of batter in the pan and cook till the surface is pitted with burst bubble holes.

~   Using a spatula or a deft flip of the wrist turn the pancake and cook till the other side is golden.

Serve immediately or keep in a warm oven till all are done so everyone can eat together.

My man ate 4 with 2 thick slices of bacon and I had 2 with 0 slices of bacon.  There was a little batter left in the bowl so I decided to finish it off in an artistic (for me) sort of way. for lunch pudding; I tried to a spiral of batter in the pan and added a few chopped walnuts!

I then made An Arrangement on a plate and drizzled with the maple syrup.  Tasted much the same as breakfast but looked better!

Nice palindromic date today, by the way – 2102 2012!

Lots more Pancake Recipes Here
and
Pancake Toppings and Additions Here