Top London chefs reveal their recipes for Pancake Day 2021

Buckwheat pancake with caramelised seasonal fruit 

Skye Gyngell, Spring

"These pancakes are more like a crêpe - they are thin and flavourful rather than fluffy American-style pancakes. I make them with lots of different toppings – in summer I add slices of ripe peach to the pan once the butter and honey have melted, but they are equally as delicious in the autumn with blackberries, or just as written here."
 

INGREDIENTS
120g cup of plain flour
60g of buckwheat flour
3 x whole eggs
3/4 tablespoon of Grape seed oil
2 x cups of milk
A good pinch of salt
1 x teaspoon of sugar
60g of unsalted butter

1/2 cup of beer

Juice of 1 x blood orange
11/2 tablespoons of floral honey
60g unsalted butter
A pinch of sea salt
 

METHOD
Start by sifting the flours together into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add eggs and oil and mix to form a paste.

Gently warm the milk, butter, salt and sugar just until the butter melts.  Slowly pour over the milk and butter whisking as you do so. Finally stir in the beer. Pass the mixture through a sieve and place in the fridge to rest (works really well overnight).

To cook place a non-stick pan over a medium heat, when hot add a little butter to the pan – ensure the base is well covered before ladling the batter into the pan.  The batter should bubble quickly. After about a minute the edges of the pancake should be set with little holes appearing across the surface. Flip the pancakes over with a spatula and cook for 30 seconds.

Set the pancakes aside on a warm plate while you cook the remaining batter, buttering the base of the pan before each batch.  Once all the pancakes are made fold each in half and then quarters. The pancakes can be made the up to 24 hours before serving.

To serve, place a non-stick pan large enough to hold four folded pancakes at a time. Melt the butter gently then add the blood orange juice and honey. Stir well with a wooden spoon to combine. Once combined add the pancakes and gently warm though. Serve on warm plates.

springrestaurant.co.uk

Buttermilk pancakes

Byron Moussouris, Executive Head Chef, Dalloway Terrace

“Pancakes are a great weekend treat, one of our most popular and 'grammable dishes on Dalloway Terrace. We can't wait to get back up and running but in the meantime here's our popular recipe for you to make at home - go wild with the toppings!”

INGREDIENTS

350g self-raising gluten-free flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1⁄2 tsp salt
2 tbsp caster sugar

200ml buttermilk
400ml semi-skimmed milk
2 free range eggs
85g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for frying

1 lime, zested
1 orange, juiced & zested

METHOD
In a bowl, sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and sugar. In a separate bowl or jug, mix together the buttermilk, milk, eggs, lime zest, orange juice and zest and butter. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Do not overbeat – stir just enough to combine.

Melt a small knob of butter in a large frying pan. Using a ladle, pour some batter into the pan to make a pancake. Depending on the size of the pan, you may be able to make more than one pancake at a time, or if you are confident you can use two pans at the same time.

Cook the pancakes for about a minute, or until the underside is golden brown and the top is bubbling. Turn over using a palette knife or fish slice and cook for another minute. Keep the pancakes warm in a very low oven while you cook the remaining batter.

dallowayterrace.com

Pancakes with berry compote and Chantilly cream

Henry Omereye, Chef Patron, Riding House Café

Pancakes:

INGREDIENTS

1.7kg pancake flour

250g unsalted butter

8 whole eggs

1ltr whole milk

200g caster sugar

½ ltr water

METHOD

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, melt the butter and separate the egg yolk from the whites. Make a well with the flour in the bowl and in the centre add the yolks, sugar, butter and milk. Mix and adjust the texture with water and allow to rest for 3 mins. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites into a foam and then combine with the rest of the mixture. Have your non-stick pan and some butter ready to cook. Put a ladle full of batter into the pan and cook the pancakes for two minutes on each side, then finish in the oven for five-six minutes at 190 degrees.

Berry compote:

INGREDIENTS

1kg frozen blueberries

400g caster sugar

METHOD

Combine everything together in a pot and cook out on a low heat until it is reduced by half, then take off the heat.

Chantilly cream:

INGREDIENTS

1 ltr double cream

125g caster sugar

10 ml vanilla essence

450g clotted cream

METHOD

Whip all ingredients together, making sure not to over whip.

Garnish:

A mixture of flesh blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. Good quality maple syrup and icing sugar.

ridinghouse.cafe

Lunu miris (red chilli and onion sambol)

 Aushi and Eroshan Meewella, Head Chefs of Kolamba 

“Nothing beats lunu miris – essentially onion muddled with chilli – as an accompaniment with hoppers [a traditional Sri Lankan pancake]. Dazzling red and fiery, we have it with our hoppers for breakfast or evening meal.”  

INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp dry chilli flakes
3 banana shallot
30ml lime juice
Rock salt, to taste
 
METHOD
Dice shallot into medium-sized pieces, before adding to a pestle and mortar together with the chilli flakes. Grind the mixture to a coarse consistency. Then, squeeze the lime juice and mix, adding salt to taste. Serve with freshly made hoppers.

kolamba.co.uk

Crêpes

Dario Avenca, Head Chef of Le Deli Robuchon 

INGREDIENTS

1l whole milk

500g flour 

10g salt

9 eggs

250g caster sugar

1 vanilla pod

125g hazelnut butter

60gr vegetable oil

300g water/milk

METHOD

To start, grate the vanilla pod into the milk. Gently cook the butter until it gets a light brown colour and begin to strain it. Heat the milk until lukewarm and incorporate hazelnut butter. In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, eggs, sugar, salt and oil. Once mixed, slowly pour in the heated milk and hazelnut butter, and keep stirring until you get a smooth mixture. Rest your mixture for a minimum of one hour before use. Add water to create your ideal consistency. Once rested, cook in a frying pan.