Tuesday 28 February 2017

Our French Life - Flip it and flop it


Hello dear Readers,

Pancake day is the day before lent in France it is called Mardi Gras  ( Fat Tuesday) I believe it was celebrated on 2nd February
I guess it was the last chance to eat fatty/sweet things before the fast, historically a fattened ox was paraded through the streets of Paris to give a reminder not to eat meat for 5/6 weeks or until Easter.
In England we call it Shrove Tuesday,  Shrove comes from the word Shrive, meaning to absolve, are you with me so far?
Well you might have guessed what we are having for dessert this evening, YEP, lovely scrummy pancakes, You might also have guessed that today (28th Feb) is pancake day in UK, I always make mine in advance ( if it's good enough for the french it is good enough for me) I then pop them in foil and re-heat in the oven, not the microwave as this will make them chewy.



The batter is made.

Here is my recipe which was my Dad's handed down from his French ancestry, and he made them so thin and delicate.

8 ozs plain flour
pinch of salt
1 pint of milk
2 eggs
butter to grease pan
Whisk all together and let stand for 30 minutes
This is how I butter the pan, picked up from a french friend

It is half a small potato with a fork stuck in it then dunked in the butter and butter gives you the little brown specks which gives the pancake the correct look.

Here it is in action
I use two pans. to do them quicker

The first two are in


8 lovely moist soft and fluffy delights


I like mine with Lemon juice and sugar and John likes his with maple syrup,

Over to you, how do you like yours.

Please leave a comment below and I will always answer you.