"shrove tuesday" news and stories

Happy Fat Tuesday, everyone.

The whole idea behind having pancakes on Fat Tuesday is to use up the butter, milk, eggs and other indulgent ingredients that you might having lying around the house so that you won't be tempted during Lent. But because everyone likes pancakes and not everyone observes lent, calling the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday "National Pancake Day" makes the tradition open to all - and I think that we can all agree that more pancakes are not a bad thing.

For my pancake day breakfast, I opted not to go with something decadent, but instead with something more wholesome so that I don't feel too bad about starting the day with a couple more pancakes (topped with maple syrup, of course), than I need.

The general recipe for pancakes seems to be 100g plain flour, a pinch of salt, 1 medium sized egg and 300ml milk. Of course variations abound: 

• using 115g each plain flour and caster sugar, 115g eggs, 50ml water, 3tbsp Pear Liqueur, 115ml milk
• using 115g flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 medium egg, 125ml milk, 100ml cold water, 1 tbsp brandy, 1tsp sunflower oil
• using 150g plain flour, 1 tsp caster sugar, 300ml full fat milk, 2 eggs

Savoury variations have saffron infused in the milk or using a mix of flours (whole grain, buckwheat or maize) . The addition of Calvados or Cointreau to the batter adds a subtle flavour. All recipes require resting for 30 minutes before using. The addition of fruit to the mix is another option; such as the Blueberry Pancakes pictured from the Epicurean I am going to use the bottom combination of ingredients (as listed above) and serve with a walnut cream and butterscotch sauce.

Any other delicious variations we can try?

Today - February 28th, 2006 - all participating IHOP restaurants will be giving away free pancakes to their customers. The free pancakes are in celebration of Fat Tuesday and each diner who requests them will be given a short stack at no charge! In IHOP speak, a short stack of pancakes is three pancakes, but diners with large appetites shouldn't worry about the small-sounding portion, since each pancake is nearly the size of a plate. During the promotion, customers will be invited to donate to the Children's Miracle Network, a nonprofit group which works to raise funds for children's hospitals in North America. Check out the IHOP website for full details and locations for your free breakfast!

Source

Even the name of "Fat Tuesday" implies that there should be at least a little indulgence in the day. In keeping with the tradition of making pancakes to celebrate the last day before lent, I made a batch of pancakes, using up some buttermilk, butter and eggs. As if that weren't enough for a delicious breakfast of classic comfort food, I added chocolate chips to really get into the decadent spirit of Mardi Gras. The pancakes themselves are light and fluffy, and the chocolate chips melt deliciously into your mouth as you eat. These don't really need syrup, but to really get into the theme of "Fat Tuesday", top yours with whipped cream. IF you have kids, use the whipped cream to make a smiley face, just like the IHOP Funny Face Pancakes.

Even though the may of Pancake Town USA doesn't seem to think that any time is a good time for pancakes, he certainly can't deny that Fat Tuesday, also known as Shrove Tuesday, is a natural day for them. The tradition of eating pancakes on the last day before the season of Lent was started to use up dairy and eggs that were often abstained from, from Ash Wednesday to Easter. But enough with religious roots: you don't need an excuse to eat pancakes, but it doesn't hurt to have one. Here are Slashfood's eight favorite pancake recipes: