Mum’s Pancake Tuesday Crepes
In Ireland, Shrove Tuesday—the day before Ash Wednesday—is known as Pancake Tuesday. It is common in Irish Catholic households to eat pancakes for dinner on that day (and when I say pancakes, I actually mean crepes, which we call pancakes in Ireland). At our house, the kids would line up in the kitchen, each of us holding a plate, while my mum would make crepes to order. As each crepe finished cooking, she would sprinkle it with sugar and lemon juice, fold it in half and then in half again, and place it on the plate of whoever was first in line. The lucky recipient would eagerly eat it and quickly get back in line to get another.
Makes 3 or 4 servings
- ¾ cup (115 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1¼ cups (282 milliliters) whole milk
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) butter, melted, plus more butter for cooking
- ¼ cup (57 grams) sugar, for serving
- Juice of 1 lemon, for serving
1 In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt and make a well in the center.
2 Crack the egg into the middle. Pour in the milk and start whisking from the center, gradually drawing the flour into the egg and milk. Once all the flour is incorporated, whisk until smooth. Add the melted butter and whisk to combine.
3 Cover and refrigerate the batter for at least 30 minutes. (This is an important step, as bubbles develop in the batter as it rests.)
4 When you’re ready to cook the crepes, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt a little butter in the pan to keep the crepes from sticking.
5 Ladle some batter (roughly ⅓ cup/71 milliliters) into the skillet, tilting the pan to coat the bottom with a thin, even layer, then let the crepe cook, undisturbed. If the pan is at the right temperature, the crepe should turn golden underneath after about 45 seconds and will be ready to turn.
6 Ease a long, thin spatula under the crepe, then quickly lift and flip it over. Make sure the crepe is lying flat against bottom of the pan with no folds, then cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until golden brown on the second side. Turn the crepe out onto a plate. Repeat to cook the remaining batter, adding butter to the pan between crepes as needed.
7 To serve, simply dust the crepes with some sugar, squeeze over some fresh lemon juice, and enjoy warm. Store any leftover crepes in the fridge, covered, for up to 2 days.
