Ever tried to cook pancakes and been disappointed with the result? Maybe there’s something behind the saying, “Flat as a Pancake”.
Here, as part of our chef’s tips and tricks series, Steve shows how to cook pancakes that will get the ‘wows’ rather than the ‘ohs’.
*Serves 2-4
Ingredients:
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
Heaped tablespoon of Greek Yoghurt
1 cup milk
1 ½ cups plain flour
3 tablespoons raw sugar
Canola oil and butter
Method:
Beat the egg whites until glossy and stiff.
In a large bowl, make a batter from whisking the egg yolks, vanilla, the flour and baking powder, the yoghurt, sugar and the milk.
Check that the batter is quite thick and add more flour if you need it. Then fold in the egg whites – add just half at first, and stir gently with a spatula to mix, and if you want a fluffier effect, add more meringue.
Usually I use just half the beaten whites which should give you the best result. Add sugar and coconut to the left over whites for some macaroons….. (I hate waste).
Drop cook’s spoons-full into a hot pan sizzling with oil and butter, and flip when the bubbles open up on the top side. The egg whites give a wonderful crust to the pancakes, with a delicious almost soufflé texture to the middle.
Serve with mixed berries chopped and heated with maple syrup, or poor man’s maple syrup – one of my mother’s recipes when life was tough:
Equal quantities of honey, golden syrup and lemon, heat in a small saucepan. This will also keep for weeks in the fridge, ready for the next indulgence!
This is seriously easy, folks, and will give you a professional pancake every time. Any delicious alternatives you’d like to offer?
Chrissie
