Trini-influenced Blueberry Pancakes
I’m currently listening to the Soca Show on One Xtra and checking out the amazing carnival pics on Flickr.
In the UK, carnival is a more modest affair—i.e. non-existing, except for the overcrowded but vibrant Notting Hill Carnival, which is really a Caribbean festival that happens nowhere around carnival time. I do remember the German version of Karneval, but it’s nothing like what happens in Trini or even Notting Hill, especially with home-grown British talent thrown into the mix.
Anyway, the closest thing that we have around this time that harks back to Christian traditions is Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day, which is essentially the opposite of Fat Tuesday. Trust the Brits to do penance while the rest of the world throws one final, all-out party on the day before Lent.
But any excuse for a pancake, I say.
In Trinidad (or more precisely: in Dougie’s Bar in Manzanilla) I discovered the secret of the bake, which has influenced the way I now make pancakes.
Bake:
½lb plain flour, 2tsp baking powder, pinch yeast.
Mix with enough water to knead, rest, form patties and deep-fry.
The secret lies of course in the yeast. If baking powder alone is used it affects the taste.
I don’t use exact measures for pancakes: the final batter should be the consistency of thick cream. You can always add more milk to thin it. Adding an extra yolk greatly improves the flavour.
Pancakes:
About 300g plain (preferably 00-grade) flour, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, milk, ca. 1tsp baking powder, pinch yeast, small pinch salt.
Beat the eggs, mix everything together until smooth and rest in the fridge overnight.
[EDIT: you must sift the flour, even if it’s extra fine :/]
[EDIT 2: half the suggested amount of flour. God, I hate pastry 🙁 And imperial measures >:( ]
Adding apples or blueberries: Bring some butter to sizzle in a pan and gently swirl the mix to spread it until the bottom sets. Press the fruit into the half-cooked batter. Continue to cook over a low heat until the top just starts to set and flip.
These pancakes tend to fluff up and break easily. Tossing them isn’t an option if you don’t want pieces of fruit flying around the kitchen, so I use a smaller pan and a big spatula to flip them over.
That’s the theory anyhow. We’ll see tomorrow.
Tags: 'Round the World Recipes, Carnival, Food, Pancakes, Shrove Tuesday, Tag Index
Denni
August 28th, 2009 at 11:03
[…] recipe couldn’t be simpler. I do this by sight: sift about a cup of flour into a bowl, add 1 tsp […]