Pancake Tuesday - The Perfect Pancakes

Whether its pancake Tuesday or any other Tuesday actually, its hard to resist the traditional French crepe. Some wouldn't call crepes pancakes but these were pancakes for me growing up so I still consider them so. This is a super simple recipe that will only take you a couple of minutes to mix up and then a couple of minutes to make. The melted butter is combined in the pancake batter meaning you do not need any oil in your pan when cooking. We used a new set of Heston Blumenthal equipment in this recipe, their first outing from our kitchen cupboard. We used the Heston Blumenthal Precision Professional Whisk and Precision Multi-purpose Spatulas and were really impressed with their design and utility.

Crepes are a traditional French snack but is so versatile it is also ate as parts of main meals. A crepe is considered by many as a type of pancake. The main difference between traditional pancakes and crepes are crepes have no raising agent or sugar meaning they do not rise when cooked. These delicious thin pancakes are perfect for rolling, folding or eating however you like.




Ingredients:
120g NEILL'S® Plain Flour
120ml Milk
120ml Water
30g Melted Butter
0.5tsp Salt
2 Eggs

Recommended Equipment:

Pyrex Mixing Bowls

Heston Blumenthal Precision Professional Whisk

Heston Blumenthal Precision Multi-purpose Spatulas

The How-To:

Add the flour to a large bowl and add the two eggs.

Add the water and milk and whisk together until combined.

Add the melted butter and salt and beat until the mixture is smooth. We used our new Heston Blumenthal Precision Professional Whisk on its first outing from our baking drawer and were really impressed by its sturdiness compared to the usual silicone whisks we have used in the past.
Make sure to scrape down the edges of the bowl with a spatula to ensure all the flour is combined. We used the new Heston spatula range which actually feel so comfortable in your hand and mould to the edges of the bowl perfectly.

Preheat a large frying pan or crepe pan on a medium heat.

Pour 1/3 of a cup of the batter into the centre of the pan and swirl around so the batter covers as much of the pan as possible.

Cook for about 1min 30sec on the first side.

Turn and cook for a further 1 min until golden brown.

Remove and place on a plate to cool.

The traditional way to serve crepes is either rolled or folded into a triangle. You can be as simple or adventurous with your toppings and fillings. Anything from chocolate, maple syrup, cheese and ham, butter....nearly everything works.

You're Done!

-->

Adagio Sherlock Fandom Teas

With the 3^rd series of Sherlock just over everyone has gone Sherlock mad! We are massive fans ourselves so were delighted to hear our favourite tea company have created several Fandom teas, and one of them happens to be Sherlock themed!

For those of you who do not know what Fandom is it best described as a subculture of fans who dedicate a lot of their time and enthusiasm into a particular interest such as Dr Who, Sherlock Holmes etc.

The Sherlock Fandom Teas from Adagio Teas come beautifully presented in a gift box and individually packaged in small metal tins, all of which I am positive we will keep long after the tea finishes!

There is no science behind how or why they choose to blend the different tea varieties to match each character but in a lot of cases you can understand some of their thinking.

Sherlock Holmes Blend

Blend – Lapsang Souchong, Assam Melody, Oriental Spice.

There are some teas  which I do not think have been blended with the smell in mind, this is one of them. There is nothing wrong with this as it’s the taste which is most important. To me this tea smells a bit musty, but that reminded me of Sherlock! I imagine his clothes, him and even his apartment smelling a bit musty.  However don’t let the smell put you off. This tea doesn’t taste musty at all. The taste is a little smoky with a hint of spice. I like this tea and am positive I will use up the entire sampler tin.

John Watson Blend

Blend – Irish Breakfast, Cinnamon, Earl Grey Green.

Firstly Irish Breakfast tea is known to be a strong black tea blend so be wary of over-steeping this tea. The cinnamon adds a wonderful warming sensation which conjures up the thoughts of sipping this tea on a cold winter night while sitting beside the blazing fire. I think just a touch of sugar really compliments the Earl Grey and Cinnamon flavours. This is definitely worth a try!

Moriartea Blend

Teas – Ginger, Masala Chai.

The key word with this tea is ‘spice’ but you expect this in a tea which has a chai element. If you prefer a bit more ‘kick’ to the spices you can try brewing it for a little longer. Between the cloves and ginger in this tea blend it really creates a warming sensation perfect for those cold nights.

Mycroft Blend

Teas – Chocolate Chip, Rooibos Vanilla Chai, Cream.

This tea has a sort of natural sweetness because of the chocolate chip tea but I really feel that adding milk and sugar really compliment this flavour and actually enhance it. The Rooibos Vanilla Chai tea in this blend just lends a hint of spice to this tea which works perfectly with the other flavours. I think this tea has a cakey smell which obviously we just love!

The Woman Blend

Blend – Honeybush Vanilla, Dewy Cherry, Lapsang Souchong.

This tea smells wonderful in the tin but its flavours really come out when you brew it. The delicious smell of cherry mixes with an equally mouth-watering aroma of vanilla. There is also a subtle hint of apple which comes from the small amount of apple pieces in the loose tea. This is a very delicate tea but with a lot of different flavours. One of our favourite in this Fandom sampler.

Mrs Hudson Blend

Blend – Assam Melody, Almond.

Ah Mrs Hudson…. You know she isn’t the housekeeper! This tea is full of wonderful flavours. It sort of reminds me of almond cookies but not too overpowering. You can imagine Mrs Hudson sitting in her own little private kitchen sipping a dainty teacup of this tea. I think serving this with milk and just a tad of sugar really highlights the wonderful almond biscuits flavour. I like this tea in the evening when you are trying to unwind. Good old Mrs Hudson!

Molly Hooper Blend

Blend – Chamomile, Dewy Cherry, Snowbud.

The one word which springs to mind to describe this tea is ‘girly’. A tea can be girly right?? The scent to arise first from the tin is of cherry, you cannot really smell much else other than this. But once brewed this tea develops a more of a floral taste with the help of the Chamomile tea. A fairly similar tea to the Mrs Hudson blend but unique in its own little ways. This is another great tea for the evenings or even when you just need to unwind.

Lestrade Blend

Blend – Gunpowder, Pu Erh Dante, Hazelnut.

Just like the Molly Hooper blend was a ‘girly’ tea this must be the ‘manly’ tea in this Fandom sampler set. Dark, earthy yet comforting, this tea has a lot of flavours going on. The immediate aroma from the tin is that of hazelnut but don’t let this put you off (as if it ever would!). Once brewed all three teas in this blend work wonderfully together. Gunpowder tea can be very strong on its own but I think it is the addition of the Hazelnut tea which breaks down this harshness. This tea is not sweet at all so if you have a sweet-tooth  add a dash of sugar.

Anderson Blend

Blend – Grapefruit, Ceylon Sonata, Blood Orange.

I think this tea is either a love or hate blend. Quite like the character really! With its key flavours being grapefruit and blood orange it can be a little bit bitter at first taste but bear with it and give it a chance, you do get use to this. I find a little sugar cuts the harshness of the citrus. Because of the citrus flavours this tea would be delicious iced with a touch of honey for sweetness. So store this one away for summer picnics perhaps!

Sally Donovan Blend

Blend – Chocolate Chai, Mambo, Almond.

I have only recently been convinced by Chai flavours and I must say I’m really quite fond of the cinnamon, ginger and overall spiciness of Chai on a cold morning as it really gives you a wonderful warming feeling. The addition of the chocolate flavours really creates something quite special creating a rich smooth tea. Chocolate and Spice, what’s not to like??

Excuse me while I just go pop on the kettle again…….

-->

Strawberry Jam Biscuits

Sometimes the simple and traditional recipes come out top and this is one of these recipes. With the addition of coconut and strawberry flavouring to this traditional biscuit recipe we can create a modern tasty biscuit.
We are working on new flavour combinations for similar biscuit recipes so stay tuned. These make excellent and dainty treats for tea parties and are sure to impress!

The Ingredients:
290g NEILL'S® Plain Flour
150g Silver Spoon® Caster Sugar
230g Butter
1 Egg Yolk
0.5tsp Salt
1tsp Strawberry Flavouring
100g Desiccated Coconut
~50g Strawberry Jam

The How-To:

Preheat oven to 180c

Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth.

Beat in the egg yolk and continue to mix until well combined.

Beat in the strawberry flavouring.

In a separate bowl sieve the flour and salt together. Mix in the coconut.

Add the dry mix to the wet mix and stir until all ingredients are combined and forms a stiff dough.

Take 1tbsp of the dough, roll between your hands to form a ball. Place on a baking tray and press down slightly.

Use the end of a spoon to make a dent in the centre of the dough.

Using a piping bag filled with jam fill the dent being careful not to overfill, as it will bubble over during cooking.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 15 mins.

Remove and allow to cool for at least 10 mins as the jam will be very hot!

You’re Done!

-->