cook school

Learn a skill for life with our foolproof crêpe recipe that ensures perfect pancakes every time – elaborate flip optional

Easy pancakes

plain flour

eggs

milk

tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil,plus a little extra for frying

lemon wedgesto serve (optional)

caster sugarto serve (optional)

Put 100g plain flour, 2 large eggs, 300ml milk, 1 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil and a pinch of salt into a bowl or large jug, then <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/review/best-gadgets-making-pancakes">whisk</a> to a smooth batter.

Set aside for 30 mins to rest if you have time, or start cooking straight away.

Set a <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/review/best-gadgets-making-pancakes">medium frying pan or crêpe pan</a> over a medium heat and carefully wipe it with some oiled kitchen paper.

When hot, cook your pancakes for 1 min on each side until golden, keeping them warm in a low oven as you go.

Serve with lemon wedges and caster sugar, or your favourite filling. Once cold, you can layer the pancakes between baking parchment, then wrap in cling film and freeze for up to 2 months.

Every home cook needs a good béchamel sauce in their repertoire – our step-by-step guide shows how to make a roux and get rid of lumps

White Sauce

onion,halved

bay leaf

cloves

butter

White sauce

Gently bring 500ml whole milk to the boil in a small <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/five-best-saucepans">saucepan</a> with 1 halved onion, studded with 1 bay leaf and 2 cloves. Turn off the heat and leave to infuse for 20 mins.

Melt 50g butter in another saucepan, then add 50g plain flour. Stir continuously until a paste forms – this is called a roux. Continue cooking for 2 mins.

Remove the onion, bay and cloves from the milk with a slotted spoon and discard. Add the infused milk to the roux gradually, stirring as you go, until you get a smooth sauce. Cook for 5-10 mins, stirring continuously, until the sauce has thickened. Season to taste.

Once you've cracked this technique for silky smooth vanilla custard, you'll never go back to tinned

Homemade custard

double cream

whole milk

tbsp cornflour

caster sugar

tsp vanilla extract

Put the cream and milk into a large pan and gently bring to just below boiling point. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the yolks, cornflour, sugar and vanilla. Gradually pour the hot milk mixture onto the sugar mixture, whisking constantly.

Wipe out the saucepan and pour the mixture back into it. Heat gently, stirring with a wooden spoon (see Steps 1 and 2, for stirring tips) until the custard is thickened, but before any lumps form. Eat hot or cold.

Follow our step-by-step guide to melting chocolate, add cream, sugar and a glug of almond liqueur if you like

Simple chocolate sauce

dark chocolate (use at least 70% cocoa solids)

milliliters double cream

tbsp caster sugar

tbsp Disaronno liqueur (optional)

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water until completely smooth (see step-by-step).

Heat all of the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan until evenly combined. Remove from the heat and stir through the melted chocolate. Serve warm over chocolate pudding, vanilla ice cream or both!

A steamed basin sponge hits the spot every time and uses up half-full jars of marmalade, syrup or jam - serve hot with custard!

As-you-like-it steamed pudding

(optional)

tbsp jam (we used strawberry), marmalade, curd, golden syrup

flour

tbsp milk

Generously grease a 1.2-litre pudding basin and put your chosen topping in the base. Boil a kettle of water. To prepare your steamer, put a snugly fitting upturned bowl in the base of a large, deep saucepan, big enough to hold the pudding.

Put the ingredients for the sponge in a food processor and blend until smooth (but don’t overwork the mix), then tip into the pudding basin. Cover with a lid made of baking parchment and foil, and tie with string to secure (see step-by-step). Stand the pudding on the upturned bowl in your saucepan. Pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the side of the pudding basin. Set over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, lower the heat to a gentle simmer and leave to steam for 2½ hrs, topping up with boiling water if the level gets too low.

Check the pudding is cooked by inserting a skewer through the foil and parchment lid into the centre of the pudding. If the skewer still has some wet mixture on it, return the pudding to the steamer for a further 15-20 mins, then check again. Once cooked, uncover and turn the pudding onto a plate. Serve straight away with custard, if you like.

Top 5 cook school recipes from across the web

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Easy pancakes

White Sauce

Homemade custard

Simple chocolate sauce

As-you-like-it steamed pudding

Top 5 cook school recipes from across the web

The most viewed cook school recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Easy pancakes

White Sauce

Homemade custard

Simple chocolate sauce

As-you-like-it steamed pudding

The most viewed cook school recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine