Pancake Day - aka Shrove Tuesday aka Pancake Tuesday - falls on February 17 this year so here are two delicious pancake recipes from Helen Goh's cookbook, Baking & the Meaning of Life.
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Goh was born in Malaysia and migrated with her family to Australia at the age of 11. After studying psychology, she combined psychotherapy practice with a cooking career, becoming a pastry chef in Melbourne before moving to London and joining the famed Ottolenghi.
Co-author with Yotam Ottolenghi of the baking book Sweet and family food book Comfort, Goh's first solo cookbook Baking & the Meaning of Life brings together 100 of her favourite recipes.
Many people around the world celebrate Shrove Tuesday by eating pancakes - a traditional way of using up rich or fatty foods (sugar, eggs, butter) before fasting for Lent.
It's reason enough to try Goh's Dutch baby pancake with berries and yoghurt cream - perfect if you have a glut of seasonal berries in your fridge.
If you prefer savoury flavours, try the version with mortadella and rocket, which could be breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Dutch Baby Pancake with Berries and Yoghurt Cream
Ingredients
- 75g plain flour
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 125ml full-cream milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- finely grated zest of 1 small orange
- 15g unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons neutral oil
Yoghurt cream
- 120ml thickened or pure (double) cream
- 120g full-fat Greek yoghurt
- scraped seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean
- 20g mild, runny honey
- 15g icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
To serve
- approximately 350g fresh mixed berries
- 20g toasted, flaked almonds (optional)
Method
1. Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a medium mixing bowl, make a well in the centre and crack the eggs into it. Whisk to break up the eggs, then slowly add the milk and vanilla. Continue to whisk, gradually drawing in the flour until the mixture is smooth. Finally, fold in the orange zest (it gets caught in the whisk if added earlier). Transfer the batter to a jug, cover and refrigerate until ready to bake (it can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days).
2. Preheat the oven to 190C fan-forced, and place a large, deep ovenproof frying pan, about 25 cm in diameter, into the oven to heat up for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, take the batter out of the fridge and stir well.
3. Remove the empty pan from the oven and add the butter and oil. Swirl the pan until the butter has melted, then return it to the oven. Pull the oven rack out slightly, then carefully pour the batter into the pan all at once. Push the rack back into the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown and puffed up.
4. While the pancake is in the oven, prepare the yoghurt cream. Place all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium-high speed until soft waves form, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. When the pancake is cooked, lift it out of the pan with a spatula and slide it onto a large plate. Scatter some of the berries on the pancake, then sprinkle the flaked almonds on top (if using). Dust lightly with icing sugar, then serve immediately with the extra berries and the yoghurt cream.
Preparation Tips
- Have the pan very hot before pouring the batter in - this is key to the pancake's impressive rise.
- Have your toppings ready to go as soon as the pancake comes out of the oven because it will deflate almost immediately. While that doesn't affect the taste or texture, you won't want to miss the gasps when your guests see that glorious puffed-up pancake emerge.
Serves 4-6
