LAST UPDATE | 13 Feb 2024

FOR SOME, PANCAKES are a one-off on Pancake Tuesday while for others, they are a weekly ritual for Sunday brunch. For me, growing up in France, pancakes or crêpes were part of our daily lives and are now, very much, a staple in our household.

There are three types of pancakes offered in France, and recipes have been passed on from generation to generation. Our most famous one in Brittany, where I am from, is the buckwheat galette. A savoury crêpe made of buckwheat flour cooked on a special cooker called “Krampouz” and filled with local delicacies which never fail to amaze me.

You will also find the common French-style crêpe which is thin and delicate, typically filled with sweet toppings. And, more recently, the American-style pancake has been growing in popularity and its thick and fluffy consistency is now a well-known staple on people’s brunch menu.

I know I will definitely be making lots of crêpes for my family today. Here are two recipes — one sweet and one savoury — that I hope you get a chance to make and enjoy:

The Cinnamon Roll

Alex Petit Alex Petit

American-style cinnamon pancake, mixed berry compote, whipped vanilla cream, toasted seeds.

Ingredients

American style pancake recipe:

250 g self raising flour

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

50g caster sugar

2 large free range eggs

150 ml Buttermilk

For the garnish:

150g frozen berries

50g sugar

100 ml fresh cream

25g icing sugar

Vanilla essence

Mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame……)

Method

For the pancake:

Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl

Add the wet ingredients and mix vigorously until smooth

Rest the batter for 45 minutes prior to cooking

Heat up a large frying pan with vegetable oil to medium/high heat

Cook your pancakes until golden brown on both sides

Those should rise and bubble as you cook them

For the garnish

In a medium saucepan, add the mixed berries and caster sugar

Cook over medium heat until the water has mostly evaporated (20 minutes)

The mixture should be syrupy and shiny

In a large mixing bowl, pour the fresh cream

Whisk the cream until thick, add the icing sugar and a few drops of vanilla essence

Reserve in the fridge until needed

In a preheated oven at 170 degrees, toast the mixed seeds until golden

Remove from the oven and cool down at room temperature

To plate, stack 3 pancakes on top of each other

Add a generous amount of berry compote

Top with a large dollop of fresh cream and finish with toasted seeds.

The Crêpe Madame 

Alex Petit Alex Petit

French style thin crêpes garnished with home cooked gammon and Carrigaline cheddar topped with a fried egg.

Ingredients

French Style crêpe

250g plain flour

500ml whole milk

4 eggs

1 pinch salt

50g melted butter

2 tablespoons caster sugar

Garnish:

4 eggs

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8 slices cooked gammon

200g Carrigaline cheddar

1 bunch fresh chives

Optional

Mix leaves

Elderflower & extra virgin olive oil dressing

1 red onion finely sliced

Method

For the crêpe:

Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl

Add the wet ingredients except the butter and mix vigorously until smooth

While whisking, add the melted butter gradually

Rest the batter for 45 minutes prior to cooking

Cook the crêpes one by one and rest onto a plate

For the garnish

In a non stick pan, fry the egg sunny side up with little oil

Season with salt and pepper and place the cooked eggs onto a side dish

In a large frying pan on medium heat, add a knob of butter and place a crêpe on it

Place 2 slices of gammon side by side and sprinkle with a generous amount of grated cheddar

Place a fried egg on top and fold the 4 sides of the crêpe to form a square

Keep cooking the crêpe until the cheese has fully melted

Plate the crêpe and sprinkle with freshly chopped chives

This can be served with a fresh salad dressed with an elderflower vinaigrette and finely shaved red onions.

Alex Petit is Group Executive Chef of Trigon Hotels, which includes The Metropole Hotel in Cork City and the Cork International Hotel.