Pancakes

Ingredients

125g plain flour, preferably Italian 00
1 egg
300 ml milk
15-30g cooled butter, melted (optional)


Making the batter


Make a mound of flour in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and make a well in the top. Crack open the egg and put it into the well. Using a wooden spoon gradually mix in the flour from the sides and beat in the milk to make a smooth batter. When the batter is creamy, stop and switch to a whisk, at this point you can add the butter which makes more of a crèpe mix (ordinary pancakes don't need the butter). Leave to stand for at least half an hour. If the batter thickens in this period add milk or water (or maybe some rum if you're making crèpes) to bring its consistency to that of single-cream.

Cooking the pancakes


Use very little oil and very little batter. The pan must be very hot, heat the oil in the pan first, then empty it before adding just enough batter to cover the base of the pan When bubbles come to the surface flip it (if atempting fancy multiple flips do so outside, my friends wife Rachel still hasn't forgotten the one I left sticking to her artexed ceiling after 4 rotations). Be prepared to reject (eat at the stove) the first as it usually doesn't work. Re-oil the pan after every 4 pancakes.

Eating

Traditionaly in Britain these are served with sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice. Alternatively Orange Juice, Jam, Maple Syrup or a chocolate spread (such as Nutella)and bananas make good substitutes.

Scotch Pancakes

Ingredients
115g plain flour sifted
1 medium free range egg
150 ml milk
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp golden caster sugar
melted butter for greasing


Making the batter
Sift the flour, cream of tartar and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl and stir in the sugar. Add the egg and slowly stir in the milk. Beat until smooth.

Cooking the pancakes
Heat up a griddle or frying pan for at least 3 minutes to get hot. Smear with a little melted butter using a paper towel. Pour in 4 lots of a tbsp of the batter mix. After a couple of minutes large bubbles should appear. Flip them over and cook for about another minute.

Eating

Serve warm with bacon and maple syrup, clotted cream and jam or whatever floats your boat.
Yum!

Crispy Black Pudding Wontons

Thanks to Jimmy at that fine Motörhead blog Moving Like A Parelellogram for this recipe.

Ingredients...

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

450 g /1 lb. black pudding skinned and chopped

1 bunch spring onions, about 8 trimmed and finely chopped

140 g / 5 oz chicken breast boned and skinned

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

25 g / 1 oz butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

150 ml /1/4 pt whipping cream

A little freshly grated nutmeg

A few leaves fresh basil chopped

1 x 350 g/ 12 oz packet won-ton skins

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Method...

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and sauté the onion, garlic and ginger. When they have softened, add the black pudding and cook for about a minute. Add the spring onions and remove the pan from the heat so that they remain crunchy.
Put it to one side to cool.

Take the chicken breast and blend it in a food processor with a teaspoon of salt. Add the butter and blend again. Now add an egg and continue to blend while you pour in the cream. Stop the motor from time to time and scrape the inside of the bowl with a rubber spatula so that everything is evenly combined.

Stir the chicken mousse into the black pudding mixture and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Finally, add the basil.

4. Lay out 6 -9 won ton skins on a clean work surface and place a spoonful of the black pudding mixture in the centre of each. Beat the remaining egg and use it to brush the edges of the won-ton skins. Fold each in half to form a triangle and press the edges firmly together. Repeat until all the mixture has been used.

Heat a deep pan of oil to 180 oc / 350 F. Fry about 6 won-tons at a time until they are golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
Drain and turn them out on to kitchen paper.

Serve hot.

It's enough to make Snaggletooth drool...

La Fleur en Papier Dore (31 of 80)

After the house of puppets I felt an uncontrolable urge to sample the Lambic delights of La Fleur en Papier Dore. Almost as though my limbs were pulled by hidden strings. I also had a sense of déjà vous, a fact born out by the barkeeps walking over and saying "I know you. Last time you were in here you were wearing a Motorhead teashirt.". Memories of playing cards here came flooding back, Sylvain with some extra ones tucked up his sleave. The ace of spades, the ace of spades....

The beer this time was Oud Beersel. Flat, slightly sour and a perfect accompaniment to the blood sausage roll sitting on my plate.

The Gold Plated Flower was originally part of a 19th century nunnery. I can hear the penguins now, berating the drunken cavorting that now ensues within.


-- Posted from my iPhone

Poechenellekelder Master Of Puppets (56 of 80)

Sitting opposite the Manequin Pis, Poechenellekelder is a fine place to enjoy a Sunday afternoon beer while watching the tourists flock around the wee pisser. In this case the beer is the reccomended Jambe-de-Bois tripple from the Brasserie de la Seine brewery. Nice.

Brasseurs de la Grande-Place (17 of 80)

Grande Place has it's fair share of bars that do food, but what distinguishes Brasseurs de la Grande-Place is that it is only one of three working breweries in the city. Taking Around Brussels In 80 Beers reccomendation of Brasseurs Tripple, I sat down to enjoy some slightly over salted Carbonnades. The tripple was refreshing and had slight citrus overtones. All in all a nice, refreshing beer in a bar reminiscent of Nottingham's Fellows Morton And Clayton Brewhouse, all gleaming pipes and woodwork. A worthy stoppoff if you're in the city centre.

Keith Floyd

Time to raise a glass, if you will, to Keith Floyd, who died yesterday.

His TV style has been imitated but rarely, if ever, bettered. Very casual and with the trade mark glass of wine always to hand, he made cooking look easy. His infectious enthusiasm certainly played its part in growing my own interest in cooking and, no doubt, that of many others.