On a happier note to my personal injury categorised post from a couple of weeks back, Pancake Day is one of my favourite days every year. I just love pancakes in all of their forms. The taste, the beauty and the simplicity just push all of my buttons. Whilst I was at university (I won’t say when that was!) I even used to try to eat nothing but pancakes for the whole day. Although I do still get the urge to do this, my body will no longer accept pancakes for every meal. Having an adult job in an adult office also makes it very hard for me to get my lunchtime pancake fill, but thankfully being semi-retired I can live with it! On the other hand, sustaining myself over 24 hours of pancakes has taught me to step away from the classic lemon and sugar option and choose other pancake toppings.
This year’s main event was a delicious spinach and ricotta offering. The pancakes that I made to go with this dish were a very thin type of pancake, which were very similar to continental crepes. To make the filling I initially layered spinach leaves over the pancake base and then I covered them with a simple ricotta mixture. The ricotta mixture included a pinch of nutmeg to help to give it a lovely hint of spice. Once the pancakes had been topped, I rolled them up and put them into a baking dish. Before baking, I added a little smattering of grated Comte cheese to the top. I baked the pancakes for about 15 minutes and then served them with a simple green salad. Although it can hardly be considered to be a low-fat option (given all of the cheese which it contains), the dish is certainly a more mature option than some of the other pancake choices are.
Nonetheless, my dessert pancakes were a return to student form. For these pancakes, I made a slightly thicker, cakier iteration. These pancakes were actually far more similar to the American-style pancakes which are often served as part of brunch dishes. I sliced up a banana and then sprinkled on some finely chopped hazelnuts to give the topping a little bit of crunch. I also made a simple chocolate sauce by combining milk, chocolate, golden syrup and cocoa powder. Drizzling this chocolate sauce over the pancakes helped to give the dessert some much-needed moisture. Of course, this is a delicious combination.
Every year after Pancake Day, I always wonder why I stick to eating pancakes on one day only. There are plenty of healthier options that I could eat for dinner on other days, but for some reason I never move past Shrove Tuesday. This year I have decided to make a conscious effort to make savoury pancake dishes on days that are not specifically Pancake Day. There are plenty of cultures that enjoy pancake or crepe-style dishes as part of their national cuisine, so I am going to explore some of these ideas. Maybe it will stop me going pancake-crazy next time Pancake Day rolls around? In fact, I have already got an Indian-style Keema pancake lined up for dinner this week!