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Rachel Allen’s pancakes with orange butter

You will need:

Serves 6.
Makes 25 small or 12 large.
  • 170g (6oz) plain flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 225ml (8fl oz) milk
  • 225ml (8fl oz) water
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter.

Tip

Adding melted butter to the pancake batter will make a real difference to the pancakes’ flavour and texture. It also makes it possible to cook them without having to grease the pan every time.

Sieve the plain flour, the pinch of salt and the sugar into a bowl, make a well in the centre and drop in the lightly beaten eggs. With a whisk or wooden spoon, starting in the centre, mix the egg and gradually incorporate the flour from the sides. In a separate bowl or jug, mix together the milk and the water. Slowly add the milk and water mixture to the flour and egg mixture and beat it until the batter is covered with bubbles.

Let the batter stand in a cold place for a while – a couple of hours if you have time. Just before you cook the pancakes, stir in the melted butter.

Heat a non-stick pan over a high heat. When it is hot, pour in a small ladleful of batter, or just enough to coat the base of the pan with a thin film. The batter should cook immediately – loosen it around the edges with a rubber fish slice, flip it over and cook the pancake for a few seconds on the other side. Slide the cooked pancake on to a plate, and serve with your chosen filling, either sweet or savoury.

For the orange butter, you will need:

  • 175g (6oz) butter, softened
  • 3 teaspoons finely grated orange rind
  • 200g (7oz) icing sugar, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (optional)
  • Freshly squeezed juice of 5 oranges

To make the orange butter, cream the softened butter with the finely grated orange rind. Then add the sifted icing sugar and beat the mixture until it’s fluffy. Add the Grand Marnier, if you’re using it. To serve, melt a large blob of the orange butter in the pan, add a few spoonfuls of the freshly squeezed orange juice and, one by one, toss each pancake in the foaming butter. Fold each tossed pancake in half and then in quarters, so that you have a fan shape.

Serve two pancakes per person on warm plates. Repeat until all the pancakes and all of the orange butter has been used.

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