A Guest Post by Ewan C. MacDougall
In some Christian countries including the United Kingdom it is tradition to cook pancakes (crepes) the day before lent starts.
This is because traditionally people would not eat sweet food for the next 40 days and 40 nights so to stop it from going to waste they would fill pancakes with it and enjoy it all that night.
Making pancakes is a really easy cooking activity that kids love to get involved with, it doesn’t involve to much fancy cookware and if your child has a birthday around that time of year, or you’re just looking for an excuse to have a party why not throw a pancake party.
If you decide to do this you will need to prepare enough batter in advance, a pint of batter will make about 15 pancakes depending how big and thick you make them.
The recipe:
The Pancakes (for 1 pint of batter)
- 4 eggs
- 1 pint of milk
- 8* oz flour
(*note: if you prefer thicker pancakes you can increase the amount of flour slightly. Thicker pancakes are also a little easier for children to cook as they are less likely to fall apart)
- Mix all the ingredients together and then leave to sit for 20 minutes.
- Use an oil soaked cloth to finely coat a frying pan, and then heat the pan until the oil smokes.
- Pour enough batter for one pancake into the frying pan and move the frying pan in a circular motion to spread the batter evenly.
- If the pan is hot enough the bottom of the pancake should cook almost instantly, allowing you to flip the pancake. (You can either do this the fancy way, or if you’re feeling less brave flip it with a spatula.)
- Once the pancake is flipped reduce the heat and slowly cook the other side of the pancake until it is cooked through.
The fillings:
This is really up to you, everyone has their own preference. The most traditional pancakes have lemon and sugar; you could also try filling them with stewed fruit.
At a children’s party the easiest option would be to have a selection of flavoured sauces normally used for ice cream and jam. You can also find some more fancy filling recipes here.
Making it a party:
Use your best judgement in how much you let the children do based on their age and how much you trust them.
For young children you might like to make the pancakes all in advance and then just let them choose their own toppings. Slightly older children might like to try flipping their own pancakes, and older children still can be involved in the whole process.
Having at least two adults supervising this party is advisable, one to supervise the children and the other to supervise any cooking. This also allows you to have the children cooking in smaller groups which are safer.
Enjoy pancake making, even if you’re not having a party, it can be a great fun thing to do with your family.
Author
Ewan Cambell MacDougall has spent several years working with children at Kids Summer Camps. He currently works in online marketing with several different companies.
Metric Converter for Ewan’s Recipe
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