Valentine’s Day AND Pancake Tuesday? Time for some treats

It originated as a feast day honouring the Christian martyr Saint Valentine.

With lockdown and restaurants closed we should take any excuse to have a celebration. And this is the perfect justification to consume chocolate!

This week’s first recipes are for a double dose of the confection.

Chocolate pots are a quick and simple way of showcasing our favourite treat. They need to be chilled for a few hours and you end up with a deliciously smooth and rich mouthful.

Chocolate truffles are also easy to make and you can add any flavour you like. They add a texture contrast to the chocolate pot.

You could add some passion fruit seeds or defrosted frozen berries to garnish and add a bit of zing.

It’s Pancake or Shrove Tuesday next week – traditionally the final feasting day before the start of the six week Lenten period.

Shrove comes from the word “shrive” meaning to absolve. It’s observed by many Christians who consider the wrongs they need to repent and seek absolution for, hence the name.

Cultures across the globe celebrate this day. In New Orleans the famous Mardi Gras, or literally Fat Tuesday, festival takes place and it’s replicated in Portugal, Southern American, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Italy, as well as many commonwealth countries.

Eating pancakes was introduced initially to use up all the eggs, butter and milk before the fasting began on Ash Wednesday.

Tossing pancakes is a tradition that dates back to 1445 when a housewife from Olney in Buckinghamshire was so busy making pancakes that she forgot the time until she heard the bells ringing for the church service.

She rushed out of the house, still carrying the pan, and tossed it the whole way there to prevent the pancakes burning. It’s still part of the culture throughout England to this day.

After all that over indulgence on St Valentine’s Day, I’ve added a light pancake recipe to offset the balance.

It’s a Vietnamese inspired dish where rice flour and coconut milk are the main ingredients in the batter.

Swirl the mixture in a non-stick pan as thinly as possible so the result is crisp.

The pancakes are then filled with chicken and thinly shaved vegetables with a chilli dipping sauce on the side.

You could substitute the chicken for king prawns or thinly sliced beef steak.

The best way to eat them is to slice them up and eat with your hands as you dip.

The perfect sharing platter.

And I’ve also added a recipe for a classic pancake if you’d like something traditional.