To Make Pancakes
Origin: London, England
Source: Isabella Beeton, 1861
Ingredients
- Eggs
- flour
- milk
- to every egg
- 1 oz flour, about 1 gill of milk
- 1/8 saltspoonful salt
- PANCAKES.]
Instructions
- Ascertain that the eggs are fresh; break each one separately in a cup;
- whisk them well, put them into a basin, with the flour, salt, and a few drops of milk, and beat the whole to a perfectly _smooth_ batter;
- then add by degrees the remainder of the milk.
- The proportion of this latter ingredient must be regulated by the size of the eggs, &c.
- &c.; but the batter, when ready for frying, should be of the consistency of thick cream.
- Place a small frying-pan on the fire to get hot;
- let it be delicately clean, or the pancakes will stick, and, when quite hot, put into it a small piece of butter, allowing about 1/2 oz. to each pancake.
- When it is melted, pour in the batter, about 1/2 teacupful to a pan 5 inches in diameter, and fry it for about 4 minutes, or until it is nicely brown on one side.
- By only pouring in a small quantity of batter, and so making the pancakes thin, the necessity of turning them (an operation rather difficult to unskilful cooks) is obviated.
- When the pancake is done, sprinkle over it some pounded sugar, roll it up in the pan, and take it out with a large slice, and place it on a dish before the fire.
- Proceed in this manner until sufficient are cooked for a dish;
- then send them quickly to table, and continue to send in a further quantity, as pancakes are never good unless eaten almost immediately they come from the frying-pan.
- The batter may be flavoured with a little grated lemon-rind, or the pancakes may have preserve rolled in them instead of sugar.
- Send sifted sugar and a cut lemon to table with them.
- To render the pancakes very light, the yolks and whites of the eggs should be beaten separately, and the whites added the last thing to the batter before frying.