di reston
Sous Chef
I recently looked at the thread about desserts, in which I said that my favourite dessert is Crèpes Suzette, and it prompted me to send the following:
The pancakes that I make are:
Crèpes Suzette, Hungarian Pancakes with apricots, and savoury pancakes French style. The recipes for the pancakes are somewhat different from the ones you make over, the main difference being that over here the pancakes tend to be very thin, whereas yours are thicker. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Here are the three recipes that I usually use for the pancakes:
Recipes only:
1) Hungarian pancakes with apricots:
For 14 pancakes:
3 eggs
1 teacup of milk
5 tbsp soda water, freshly opened
4 oz sifted flour plus 1 oz pizza flour
3 tbsp castor sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 - 3 oz butter
apricot jam for the filling
6 oz finely chopped walnuts
Icing sugar to dredge
Melt 1/2 oz butt in an 8-inch frying pan, or a special pancake pan. Mine is cast iron, seasoned with butter. When the subsides, ladle in enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan, and tilt it to distribute the batter evenly over the pan. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, or when the lightly browned on the bottom side, then turn over to do the same on the other side. When this is done, spread your apricot jam and roll the pancakes loosely. When you have finished doing the batch, scatter the chopped walnuts and then the icing sugar, and serve.
Savoury pancakes French style:
This batter is called pancake batter 'à la règle de trois', in other words, the ingredients come in thirds:
The essential element of this batter is, as the above, that ingredients come in thirds.
For 15 pancakes, the batter should be
300g flour (for this I also add a tbsp pizza flour, given that these pancakes will have sauce over them before serving)
3 eggs
75cl milk
3 serving spoonsful melted butter
Beat the ingredients to a smooth batter, leave to one side before using.
I use this for savoury dishes that require a sauce over, i.e. chicken livers, prawns, etc.
Now for the Master recipe: Crèpes Suzette:
For the Pancakes:
4 1/2 oz flour, 4 plain flour, 1/2 Pizza flour
1 3/4 oz sugar
pinch salt
2 eggs
1 tsp orange flower water
1 small glass brandy
1 1/2 butter
1/2 pint milk
Butter for frying.
Make up the batter in the usually way, and let it stand for an hour or more.
I have a cast iron pancake pan which is permanently buttered, with cling film on top, and I never put it in anything like a dishwasher, or any detergent. To clean it, I put it over a gas hob, clean it with kitchen paper, and then it's ready to use again.
Keep the pancakes on standby until you are ready to roll.
To finish the dish:
16 lumps of sugar, 8 rubbed with orange peel and the other 8 with lemon peel.
3 oz butter
juice of 4 oranges (medium size)
sugar to taste, but don't be too mean
2 thin slices orange
2 thin slices lemon peel
orange liqeur + brandy to taste, but not over the top
orange flavoured butter (butter and grated orange peel, with some orange juice;
Make up the batter in the usual way, but add the cognac and orange flour water, the butter and cold milk, and stir carefully for a long time.
Have your pancake pan warm and add the butter a little at a time, for each pancake. Pour the batter and swirl round the pan to get an even spread, and cook on a high flame. Turn over to the other side so that the pancake is evenly cooked each side.
For the filling, mix the sugar lumps with 3oz softened.
Presentation: If you have a copper pancake pan (otherwise stick with what you have!)caramelise the sugar lightly with thin slices of lemon and orange peel, then pour the orange juice and sugar mixture, and bring to the boil.
Fold the pancakes into four, still in the pan. adding gradually a little orange butter and a little brandy. Serve while hot. You can flambè with a little cognac if you like.
This is not an expensive dish, and neither is it too complicated. You just have to have your ducks in a row before you start. Timings are important
though.
The pancakes that I make are:
Crèpes Suzette, Hungarian Pancakes with apricots, and savoury pancakes French style. The recipes for the pancakes are somewhat different from the ones you make over, the main difference being that over here the pancakes tend to be very thin, whereas yours are thicker. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Here are the three recipes that I usually use for the pancakes:
Recipes only:
1) Hungarian pancakes with apricots:
For 14 pancakes:
3 eggs
1 teacup of milk
5 tbsp soda water, freshly opened
4 oz sifted flour plus 1 oz pizza flour
3 tbsp castor sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 - 3 oz butter
apricot jam for the filling
6 oz finely chopped walnuts
Icing sugar to dredge
Melt 1/2 oz butt in an 8-inch frying pan, or a special pancake pan. Mine is cast iron, seasoned with butter. When the subsides, ladle in enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan, and tilt it to distribute the batter evenly over the pan. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, or when the lightly browned on the bottom side, then turn over to do the same on the other side. When this is done, spread your apricot jam and roll the pancakes loosely. When you have finished doing the batch, scatter the chopped walnuts and then the icing sugar, and serve.
Savoury pancakes French style:
This batter is called pancake batter 'à la règle de trois', in other words, the ingredients come in thirds:
The essential element of this batter is, as the above, that ingredients come in thirds.
For 15 pancakes, the batter should be
300g flour (for this I also add a tbsp pizza flour, given that these pancakes will have sauce over them before serving)
3 eggs
75cl milk
3 serving spoonsful melted butter
Beat the ingredients to a smooth batter, leave to one side before using.
I use this for savoury dishes that require a sauce over, i.e. chicken livers, prawns, etc.
Now for the Master recipe: Crèpes Suzette:
For the Pancakes:
4 1/2 oz flour, 4 plain flour, 1/2 Pizza flour
1 3/4 oz sugar
pinch salt
2 eggs
1 tsp orange flower water
1 small glass brandy
1 1/2 butter
1/2 pint milk
Butter for frying.
Make up the batter in the usually way, and let it stand for an hour or more.
I have a cast iron pancake pan which is permanently buttered, with cling film on top, and I never put it in anything like a dishwasher, or any detergent. To clean it, I put it over a gas hob, clean it with kitchen paper, and then it's ready to use again.
Keep the pancakes on standby until you are ready to roll.
To finish the dish:
16 lumps of sugar, 8 rubbed with orange peel and the other 8 with lemon peel.
3 oz butter
juice of 4 oranges (medium size)
sugar to taste, but don't be too mean
2 thin slices orange
2 thin slices lemon peel
orange liqeur + brandy to taste, but not over the top
orange flavoured butter (butter and grated orange peel, with some orange juice;
Make up the batter in the usual way, but add the cognac and orange flour water, the butter and cold milk, and stir carefully for a long time.
Have your pancake pan warm and add the butter a little at a time, for each pancake. Pour the batter and swirl round the pan to get an even spread, and cook on a high flame. Turn over to the other side so that the pancake is evenly cooked each side.
For the filling, mix the sugar lumps with 3oz softened.
Presentation: If you have a copper pancake pan (otherwise stick with what you have!)caramelise the sugar lightly with thin slices of lemon and orange peel, then pour the orange juice and sugar mixture, and bring to the boil.
Fold the pancakes into four, still in the pan. adding gradually a little orange butter and a little brandy. Serve while hot. You can flambè with a little cognac if you like.
This is not an expensive dish, and neither is it too complicated. You just have to have your ducks in a row before you start. Timings are important
though.