LAST UPDATE | 13 Feb
FOR SOME, PANCAKES are a one-off on Pancake Tuesday while for others, they are a weekly ritual for Sunday brunch. For me, growing up in France, pancakes or crêpes were part of our daily lives and are now, very much, a staple in our household.
There are three types of pancakes offered in France, and recipes have been passed on from generation to generation. Our most famous one in Brittany, where I am from, is the buckwheat galette. A savoury crêpe made of buckwheat flour cooked on a special cooker called “Krampouz” and filled with local delicacies which never fail to amaze me.
You will also find the common French-style crêpe which is thin and delicate, typically filled with sweet toppings. And, more recently, the American-style pancake has been growing in popularity and its thick and fluffy consistency is now a well-known staple on people’s brunch menu.
I know I will definitely be making lots of crêpes for my family today. Here are two recipes — one sweet and one savoury — that I hope you get a chance to make and enjoy:
American-style cinnamon pancake, mixed berry compote, whipped vanilla cream, toasted seeds.
Ingredients
American style pancake recipe:
250 g self raising flour
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
50g caster sugar
2 large free range eggs
150 ml Buttermilk
For the garnish:
150g frozen berries
50g sugar
100 ml fresh cream
25g icing sugar
Vanilla essence
Mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame……)
Method
For the pancake:
Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl
Add the wet ingredients and mix vigorously until smooth
Rest the batter for 45 minutes prior to cooking
Heat up a large frying pan with vegetable oil to medium/high heat
Cook your pancakes until golden brown on both sides
Those should rise and bubble as you cook them
In a medium saucepan, add the mixed berries and caster sugar
Cook over medium heat until the water has mostly evaporated (20 minutes)
The mixture should be syrupy and shiny
In a large mixing bowl, pour the fresh cream
Whisk the cream until thick, add the icing sugar and a few drops of vanilla essence
Reserve in the fridge until needed
In a preheated oven at 170 degrees, toast the mixed seeds until golden
Remove from the oven and cool down at room temperature
To plate, stack 3 pancakes on top of each other
Add a generous amount of berry compote
Top with a large dollop of fresh cream and finish with toasted seeds.
French style thin crêpes garnished with home cooked gammon and Carrigaline cheddar topped with a fried egg.
Ingredients
French Style crêpe
250g plain flour
500ml whole milk
4 eggs
1 pinch salt
50g melted butter
2 tablespoons caster sugar
Garnish:
4 eggs
8 slices cooked gammon
200g Carrigaline cheddar
1 bunch fresh chives
Optional
Mix leaves
Elderflower & extra virgin olive oil dressing
1 red onion finely sliced
Method
For the crêpe:
Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl
Add the wet ingredients except the butter and mix vigorously until smooth
While whisking, add the melted butter gradually
Rest the batter for 45 minutes prior to cooking
Cook the crêpes one by one and rest onto a plate
For the garnish
In a non stick pan, fry the egg sunny side up with little oil
Season with salt and pepper and place the cooked eggs onto a side dish
In a large frying pan on medium heat, add a knob of butter and place a crêpe on it
Place 2 slices of gammon side by side and sprinkle with a generous amount of grated cheddar
Place a fried egg on top and fold the 4 sides of the crêpe to form a square
Keep cooking the crêpe until the cheese has fully melted
Plate the crêpe and sprinkle with freshly chopped chives
This can be served with a fresh salad dressed with an elderflower vinaigrette and finely shaved red onions.
Alex Petit is Group Executive Chef of Trigon Hotels, which includes The Metropole Hotel in Cork City and the Cork International Hotel.
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