Breakfast (American) Pancakes

A delicious treat, served with bacon and/or maple or golden syrup. The everyday alternative to pancake day pancakes! Makes about 8 pancakes:

Put 175g self-raising flour in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Start by beating in 3 eggs one at a time, then add 2 large tbsp crème fraiche, gradually incorporating the flour. Finally add about 100ml milk until you have a smooth, thick batter.

Heat a frying pan with ½ tbsp olive/vegetable oil on a fairly high heat, then use some kitchen roll to (carefully!) wipe off most of the hot oil so you are left with a thin veneer of the oil. Drop large tablespoons of the batter onto the frying pan, and wait for them to puff up and brown underneath (2 to 3 minutes). Turn the pancakes and leave for a further couple of minutes to cook through. Keep warm until you finish off the pancake mixture and serve straight away.

If you have an Aga you can cook the pancakes by dropping the mixture straight onto the simmering (cooler) plate, so no washing up!

These pancakes also freeze well if you have any leftovers. Pop into a freezer bag and defrost and reheat as required by microwaving or toasting (briefly).