Get ready for Shrove Tuesday with our delicious Pancake Day recipes and Bordeaux wine pairings
Sugar and lemon pancakes
A classic that’s oh-so-easy to make, this combo never gets old!
Ingredients:
100g plain flour
2 eggs
300ml milk or 200ml milk mixed with 100ml water
Pinch of salt
Caster sugar
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Lemon wedges for decoration
40g unsalted butter
Method
1. Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and milk, then whisk to a smooth batter.
2. Melt the butter in a pan. Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a separate bowl, ready for the next pancake.
3. Cook pancakes over medium heat for about one minute on each side until golden.
4. To serve, sprinkle each pancake with lemon juice and caster sugar and roll them up. Decorate with lemon wedges, if desired.
These superbly simple pancakes taste best with a sweet wine, such as Sauternes Amour de Bordeaux. Its summer flowers aromas balance perfectly the sharp acidity of the lemon and the rich sweetness of the sugar.
Smoked ham and cheese pancakes
If you prefer a savoury dish, these ham and cheese pancakes are another classic you’ll want to eat all year round – not just on pancake day.
Ingredients:
100g plain flour
2 eggs
300ml milk or 200ml milk mixed with 100ml water
Pinch of salt
40g unsalted butter
8 slices smoked ham
8 tbsp grated cheese, such as Cheddar or Emmenthal
1 tbsp chives, chopped
Method
- Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and milk, then whisk into a smooth batter.
- Melt the butter in a pan. Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a separate bowl, ready for the next pancake.
- Cook each pancake for 1 minute, flip over and cook for a further 30 seconds.
- Place a slice of ham, 1-2 tbsp of cheese and chives on one half of the pancake. Fold the unfilled half over to cover the filling, leave in the pan to melt the cheese for a moment. Fold in half again and transfer to a plate to serve.
Pair your pancakes with a supple red Bordeaux wine, like the well-rounded and fruity Château Grand Désir. Its freshness and structure make it a fine match for those hearty ham and cheese flavours.
Poached apple and cinnamon pancakes
A winter wonderland of a pancake recipe, combining traditional flavours with a sublime dry white Bordeaux wine. You’ll wish every day was Pancake Day.
Ingredients:
100g plain flour
2 eggs
300ml milk or 200ml milk mixed with 100ml water
Pinch of salt
40g unsalted butter
Apples and sauce:
1 cup water
⅓ cup golden syrup
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 apples
1 tsp ground cinnamon or 2-3 cinnamon sticks
Method
- Peel off the skins of the apples with a peeler or knife, then slice the apples.
- Fill a small saucepan with 1 cup of water, then add golden syrup and sugar. Heat until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add your apple slices to the saucepan and allow to boil for 10 minutes. Then add cinnamon and allow to boil for a further 5 minutes.
- Whilst the apples are cooking, prepare the pancakes. First, sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and milk, then whisk to a smooth batter.
- Melt the butter in a pan. Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a separate bowl, ready for the next pancake.
- Cook pancakes over medium heat for about one minute on each side until golden.
- Place 2-3 folded pancakes on each plate, top them with sliced apples and pour on the sauce in which the apples were cooking. Add 1-2 tbsp spoons of crème fraiche or thick plain yogurt for even more flavour, if desired.
Serve your pancakes with a dry white Bordeaux wine from Graves, such as Clos Floridene. Fine and structured with stone fruit flavours, it leaves a pleasing creamy texture on the palate.
Whichever pancakes you end up cooking, we hope you have a great Pancake Day!
