Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday

Tuesday is the last day before the forty days of Lent when for centuries people have given up rich food like meat, eggs and fish til Easter Sunday. So they used up their eggs to make pancakes. Here's a pancake recipe by Nigel Slater
Nigel Slater recipes

The basic crepe Makes about 12.  50g butter, plus more for cooking  100g plain flour  1 large egg  1 large egg yolk  350ml milk  Melt most of the butter in a small pan and leave it to cool slightly. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl with a good pinch of salt. Scoop a well in the centre of the flour, then drop in the egg and the egg yolk. You can beat them lightly first, but I'm not sure it makes much difference. Pour in the milk, whisking gently as you go, then whisk in the melted butter. Set the batter aside for about half an hour. Melt some butter for frying. Heat an 18-20cm crepe pan and brush it with a little melted butter. Stir the batter - it should be the thickness of double cream - and pour 50-60ml into the pan. Working quickly, tilt the pan so that the batter runs all over the surface, making a neatish round. The base should be covered in batter, but not quite thin enough to see through. Let the crepe cook for a minute or so until the underside is golden in patches and comes easily away from the pan. Lift one edge up with a palette knife and flip it gently over. The base should be cooked in 1 minute, maybe less - but it will only cook in patches, not as evenly as the first side. Tip it carefully on to a plate. Brush the pan with a little more melted butter and continue until you have used all the batter. · For sweet pancakes, you can add 1 tbsp of caster sugar to the mixture and 2 tbsp of brandy. This will give a sweet, richer finish and is especially good for those who like their pancakes with cream or ice cream.  

Lent is like the Jewish festival of Passover or the Muslims Ramadan. The Jews would clear their houses of yeast before Passover and the idea is that we should empty ourselves somehow to focus on whats important in life.

Lent for Ordinary People-Shrove Tuesday 2 Pancake recipes including one low fat

Pancakes with sugar and lemon Ingredients 110g/4oz plain flour, sifted pinch of salt 2 eggs 200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water 50g/2oz butter or marg, sugar, lemon wedges, lemon juice Preparation Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl with a sieve held high above the bowl so the flour gets an airing. Now make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it. Then begin whisking the eggs - any sort of whisk or even a fork will do - incorporating any bits of flour from around the edge of the bowl as you do so. Next gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking (don't worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk). When all the liquid has been added, use a rubber spatula to scrape any elusive bits of flour from around the edge into the centre, then whisk once more until the batter is smooth, with the consistency of thin cream. Now melt the 50g/2oz of butter in a pan. Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a bowl and use it to lubricate the pan, using a wodge of kitchen paper to smear it round before you make each pancake. Now get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium and, to start with, do a test pancake to see if you're using the correct amount of batter. I find 2 tbsp is about right for an 18cm/7in pan. It's also helpful if you spoon the batter into a ladle so it can be poured into the hot pan in one go. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter. It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it's tinged gold as it should be. Flip the pancake over with a pan slice or palette knife - the other side will need a few seconds only - then simply slide it out of the pan onto a plate. Stack the pancakes as you make them between sheets of greaseproof paper on a plate fitted over simmering water, to keep them warm while you make the rest. To serve, sprinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and sugar, fold in half, then in half again to form triangles, or else simply roll them up. Serve sprinkled with a little more sugar and lemon juice and extra sections of lemon. Low Fat Version Basic pancake batter
5 minutes to prepare | 30 minutes to cook | Makes 12 pancakes
Sift 125g plain flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Slowly whisk in 1 egg and 300ml skimmed milk until smooth. Heat an 18cm (7in) frying pan over a high heat. Add 1 tbsp sunflower oil and swirl to coat. Tip the oil into a heatproof container. Ladle 3 tbsp of the batter into the pan, swirling it round to coat the base. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until the underside is golden. Loosen the edges with a palette knife and flip over. Cook the second side until golden.
Remove from the pan, cover and keep warm in a low oven. Repeat with the remaining oil and batter, separating each cooked pancake with baking paper.

Pancake Day-Shrove Tuesday

Tuesday is the last day before the forty days of Lent when for centuries people have given up rich food like meat, eggs and fish til Easter Sunday. So they used up their eggs to make pancakes. Here's a pancake recipe by Nigel Slater
Nigel Slater recipes

The basic crepe Makes about 12. 50g butter, plus more for cooking 100g plain flour 1 large egg 1 large egg yolk 350ml milk Melt most of the butter in a small pan and leave it to cool slightly. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl with a good pinch of salt. Scoop a well in the centre of the flour, then drop in the egg and the egg yolk. You can beat them lightly first, but I'm not sure it makes much difference. Pour in the milk, whisking gently as you go, then whisk in the melted butter. Set the batter aside for about half an hour. Melt some butter for frying. Heat an 18-20cm crepe pan and brush it with a little melted butter. Stir the batter - it should be the thickness of double cream - and pour 50-60ml into the pan. Working quickly, tilt the pan so that the batter runs all over the surface, making a neatish round. The base should be covered in batter, but not quite thin enough to see through. Let the crepe cook for a minute or so until the underside is golden in patches and comes easily away from the pan. Lift one edge up with a palette knife and flip it gently over. The base should be cooked in 1 minute, maybe less - but it will only cook in patches, not as evenly as the first side. Tip it carefully on to a plate. Brush the pan with a little more melted butter and continue until you have used all the batter. · For sweet pancakes, you can add 1 tbsp of caster sugar to the mixture and 2 tbsp of brandy. This will give a sweet, richer finish and is especially good for those who like their pancakes with cream or ice cream.
This year I'm joining a Lent course with all the churches in the town and they are following the York Course.  Im also giving up worrying and swearing! (tough one that!) I cant give up eggs because our hens produce about 3 a day and they would go to waste.
Lent is like the Jewish festival of Passover or the Muslims Ramadan. The Jews would clear their houses of yeast before Passover and the idea is that we should empty ourselves somehow to focus on whats important in life.