The Sacred Art of Eating

A friend was having a buffet party for her birthday, before we all headed into town dancing. I offered to make a small contribution.

• Nutella Pancakes

We had thought, a long time ago, that we might do this pudding in honour of World Nutella Day and Shrove Tuesday which surprisingly coincide. However, a key ingredient, Frangelico, to be provided by an Italian friend with access to such things, proved difficult to pin down and so we held off.So I made these at a birthday party the other night. I’d hoped I’d get a photo of me, in the kitchen, cooking whilst wearing my mother’s fancy tango dress (proof if ever it were needed that I am my Father’s daughter)(cooking in smart clothes, not wearing my mother’s dresses!) but none came. It was quite exciting, cooking against the clock in a foreign kitchen. The Birthday Girl was too busy fielding guests to be able to point me in the direction of bowls/spatulas/whisks, although her mum was a great help. Generally I managed though.

These are easy peasy and, particularly if you can source some Frangelico (just happen to have a bottle lurking in the booze cupboard after an ill-advised purchase many years ago, perhaps,) definitely worth doing. The express way is to use crêpes out of a packet but it’d be lovely to spend a morning making crêpes in advance for these too. If you made them yourself you’d want to up the number of pancakes used, unless you have a particularly big pan in which you make your pancakes!

I would agree with Nigella that the frangelico whipped cream ought to be pretty lightly whipped and floppy. I had it just right, but then unfamiliarity with the stick whisk I was using meant in both cases I took the cream a bit further than I would have liked. I don’t think any of the eaters minded though! Similarly I was worried that the crêpes came out of the oven looking a bit burned, but it was more that the edges of the pancakes effectively get fried in butter, and so these darker bits are almost the best bit. A very handy low faff but high ‘ta-dah!’ pudding.Now I shall have to make it for Dougal, who missed out :o(

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