Tomorrow is February 28th – a special holiday where our favourite type of food can be consumed in unlimited amounts; pancakes!
We all love our delicious food; it’s what gives our lives meaning after a long day at work. So it’s only fitting that we make plenty of special occasions around the dinner table with the people we want share it all with. Aside from the usual festivities of Easter and Christmas, and their associated food comas, today’s another day where we can all be free to enjoy every food category that apparently is ‘bad’ for us – Shrove Tuesday!
The tradition of Fat Tuesday (I mean Shrove Tuesday) began many centuries ago and is celebrated every year before the start of Lent in the lead-up to Easter. But what have pancakes got to do with this? The tradition of eating pancakes on this particular Tuesday originated as a way to use up ingredients including butter, milk and eggs that were not supposed to be eaten and would go bad during the period of Lent.
So even though this plentiful day started out as a practical way of making sure no cooking ingredients went to waste, we’re glad that it turned into a pancake holiday we can all celebrate with plenty of maple syrup. The variety of pancakes these days, from pikelets to crepes, gives us plenty of choices to devour. But what if you want to turn the classic pancake into a different shape? Lettered pancakes make things even more fun!
The trick to create edible letters is to use a squeeze bottle. Using one makes it easier to write in the pan and get the neatest looking edible alphabet you could hope for. You can go and experiment in the kitchen, or take note from the multiple recipes that are out there. We’ve gone out and found one that is simple, easy to follow and most importantly delivers delicious results:
– 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
– 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 1 tablespoon white sugar
– 1 1/4 cups milk
– 1 egg
1. Brush griddle or skillet with vegetable oil or spray with cooking spray; heat griddle to 190°C or heat skillet over medium heat.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
3. If desired, pour 1/2 cup batter into plastic squeeze bottle with narrow opening to use for making letters. Squeeze batter from bottle onto hot oiled griddle to form letters. Cook until golden brown.
In three easy steps you’ll eat your way to alphabetical bliss!
Ewelina is a communications specialist and you can follow her at @marek_ewelina.