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Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day as it is also known, is a much loved day in our calendar as it is the day we all indulge ourselves by eating delicious pancakes! This year Shrove Tuesday falls on the 24^th February and across the UK there will be people practicing their pancake tossing before covering them in sugar and lemon.

So how did Shrove Tuesday start? Well the word ‘Shrove' comes from the old English word ‘shrive' which means to confess ones sins. The tradition of Shrove Tuesday began when Christians had to clear out their pantry's before Ash Wednesday which marks the start of Lent. Today many people give up just one thing for Lent, however hundreds of years ago all meats, eggs, milk and other rich foods were given up for 40 days to remember when Jesus went into the desert and fasted  for 40 days and 40 nights. The idea was that instead of throwing out the fats and eggs; they should be used to make pancakes as a final feast before the fasting period began.

As well as Shrove Tuesday being a day for making pancakes it is also a day for pancake races. This tradition is thought to of began in Olney, Buckinghamshire in 1445 when a woman was making pancakes and she forgot the time. Suddenly she heard the church bells ringing to signal the start of the service and in her haste she ran out of the house and to the church still holding the frying pan with the pancake inside. Across the country pancake races are held in villages and towns, usually with several different races so that all ages can take part. The race requires the participants to run a course while tossing a pancake in their frying pan; the winner is the person who crosses the line first after tossing the pancake a certain number of times.

If you don't fancy running around will tossing a pancake you can just enjoy them at home. Pancakes are delicious, when cooked right. If you struggle when making pancakes why not follow AboutMyArea's simple recipe?

Traditional Pancake Recipe 

We hope that you like this recipe and that you have lots of fun with the family when making your pancakes. Remember:

Mix a pancake,
Stir a pancake,
Pop it in a pan;
Fry the pancake,
Toss the pancake,
-- Catch it if you can

Have a great Shrove Tuesday!

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Comments

celine g

At 15:42 on 18th February 2009, celine g commented:

*Recipe for French Crepes*

Ustencils:
wooden spoon
mesh strainer sieve
large salad bowl
flat, thin bottom pan
ladle
kicthen roll

Ingredients:
3 medium free range eggs
500g flour passed through a mesh strainer sieve
pinch of salt
approx. 2 pints of semi skimmed milk
100g butter to cook
100ml beer

Preparation:
In the saled bowl, pour the flour and make a well
Break the 3 eggs into it with a pinch of salt
Mix well with a wooden spoon
Pour the milk while constantly mixing the dough with a wooden spoon or whisp
The consistency should be like thick milk shake.
Add 100ml beer and leave teh bowl covered with cling film for at least an hour in the kitchen (ambient temperature).

Cooking:
Turn your glide on above the hob so it doesn't smell.
Heat the pan and drop a knob of butter until melted - trash the butter out.
Lower the heat and apply a knob of butter with teh kitchen towel or a brush

Pour a dose of dough with the laddle whiel turning the pan (ideally you should make no holes! No cheating by filling up the holes with fresh dough...)
Once it starts getting golden, flip the crepe until both sides are cooked.

Do the same for each crepe and be careful to take out any crumb before you pour new dough otherwise it'd burn...

If you want to make a pile of crepes for later, pile them up in a plate but don't forget to lighlty sprinkle sugar between them so they don't stick together.

Eat with Nutella, Homemade Jams, simply sugar, or lemon juice.

My favourite: flambe with GRand-Marnier, an orange based alcohol.
To make crepes flambees, heat up the alcohol on low heat (make sure the glide is switched off otherwise you'd set fire to the house), pour over the crepe and light up with matches. Leave the alcohole evaporate whiel burning.

Bon apetit!

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