FOR those getting into the seasonal spirit Shrove Tuesday has become synonymous with eating pancakes for centuries and, why not make the most of a chance to get flipping.
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Shrove Tuesday is the the day before the start of the 40-day Lenten period in the Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday to Maundy Thursday (sometimes known as Holy Thursday, and the day before Good Friday).
Traditionally, Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to feast and eat up rich tasty foods, such as eggs, butter, sugar and fat before Lent. Pancakes have long fit the menu.
So, determining how to make the best pancake can be a controversial and often heated debate. Do you just use flour, water, milk and eggs? Do you add ricotta?
Ballarat's MasterChef Australia finalist Tim Bone encouraged people to get creative during lockdowns - but his advice still stands the taste of time.
"With pancakes, most recipes use milk but a good tip is to use buttermilk instead. Buttermilk gives you a beautiful flavour and makes your pancakes light and fluffy," Mr Bone has said.
"Always when making your pancake mix be careful not to over-work it. Especially when you're incorporating eggs and milk and flour, beating too much will make them hard."
Pancakes need not be confined to a sweet treat either.
One of Mr Bone's go-to pancake favourites has been breakfast-style with scrambled eggs and bacon.
MasterChef Australia season two winner and now much celebrated chef Adam Liaw's Best Pancakes recipe does not have buttermilk but states Liaw's "absolute best piece of advice" is to make the batter the night before.
The Australian Woman's Weekly best pancakes is about keeping it simple, getting it right and doing your own thing with toppings.
BuzzFeed put celebrity pancake recipes to the test a couple of years ago and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's proved popular by keeping a traditional base and adding in chocolate chips. (Johnson also tops this with maple syrup and whipped cream, if you want to smell what he has really been cooking).
Sourdough pancakes were a big trend in iso, but definitely a little more time consuming.
Pancake events have also become a key fundraiser for Uniting Vic Tas, the state body for Uniting Ballarat;s welfare work. People wanting to get flipping are encouraged to host a fundraiser anytime before Easter. For more details on this, visit here.
The Courier is keen to share advice and hear how to make the best pancake in Ballarat.
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