Taking advantage of the summer sun -- Pancakes in the garden

I made a little resolution with myself to take more advantage of the days in which we have nice hot weather, which is a rarity in the UK! Since it was Sunday and I didn’t feel like doing anything too adventurous, I simply had a late breakfast of crepes/pancakes and fresh fruit outside in the garden.  

Sometimes it’s not necessary to go out and spend money to enjoy the sun. If you have a garden, balcony or patio I would definitely recommend you take more advantage of it. As it’s a warm evening I am currently in the garden, typing away for this post. There’s just something that’s so nice about being outside in good weather, it’s a real mood uplifter.

Crepes are so quick and easy to make that I’m shocked by the amount of people that buy readymade.  In the case of crepes they taste so much better fresh!  Unfortunately I didn't think to blog the process of making them, but I will share my recipe.

Cooking equipment:

·         Large mixing bowl

·         Weighing scales

·         Non-stick frying pan

·         Whisk (an electric one will make life a lot easier)

·         Flat spatula

·         Sieve (not essential but does make whisking faster as there are less lumps)

Ingredients:

·         160g plain flour

·         360ml semi-skimmed milk

·         1 large or 2 small eggs

·         1 tbsp of sugar (I wanted mine slightly sweet, don’t add if you want savoury crepes)

·         1 tbsp of any oil suitable for frying (I used coconut oil)

Sift the flour into the mixing bowl, add the sugar and make a small well for the eggs.  Crack the eggs into the flour.  Add half the milk and whisk till the mixture is smooth, add the rest of the milk and whisk again.  Personally I think the batter tastes best after it has had 30 minutes to rest. It really improves the texture as it allows the batter to thicken.  If you are in a rush they can be cooked straight away but ensure the mixture has been whisked properly.

Put the frying pan on a medium heat and pour a thin layer of oil on top.  Pour roughly 2 tbsp’s of the batter into the pan tilting it so you have a nice thin even covering.  Cook for roughly a minute and flip over for another minute.  The pancake should look golden in colour if it’s not cook for longer. Once cooked flip out onto a plate and cover with another to keep warm while the others cook.

This recipe should give you roughly 3-5 crepes depending on your pan size.  I had mine with fresh berries and crème fraiche.  These taste great with lemon and sugar, maple syrup, bananas and cream, really anything sweet!  For a more savoury crepe skip the sugar, for toppings in savoury crepes I am a massive fan of fried mushrooms and cheese.  Just experiment with what you like, crepes are great base for most things.

 I am sorry for the wordy post and I will leave you with a photo of my breakfast.