][1]Today is Shrove Tuesday, the last day before Lent and, in Christian traditions, it was the day in which people would use up a lot of the food in their stores before fasting for forty days. Irrespective of their beliefs, not many people give up something for Lent these days. In fact, for most of us, it doesn’t seem that long ago that New Year resolutions fell by the wayside. It seems a bit premature to take on a whole new set of restrictions when I’m still feeling vaguely guilty about starting to enjoy a mid-week gin and tonic again.
If the tradition of giving something up for Lent may be fading away, the tradition of scoffing pancakes on Shrove Tuesday is still going strong. The Guardian has published a guide to pancake-making equipment which seems to have been written for those with an IQ in single figures. Do you really need a ‘cottage-style’ chicken made out of wire to keep your eggs in?
Anyway, Amanda Jordan is the award winning pastry chef at The Rutland, a 5pm member in Edinburgh, and she has come up with two new recipes for the more indulgent pancake. Lent may be looming but an apple, toffee and calvados pancake served with vanilla ice-cream might help soften the blow.
Both the above pancake plus a crepe soufflé with white chocolate and passion fruit will be on The Rutland’s menu today priced at a fiver. If you fancy having a crack at making them yourselves then the recipes are here. They don’t look too daunting.