During a recent pancake masterclass with Tom Brown at Le Cordon Bleu London, Decanter discussed the best drink to accompany these savoury and sweet creations with the school's Matthieu Longuère, Master Sommelier. Here's the suggestions we came up with.
What to drink with Pancakes
Pancakes are all about the filling. What you decide to top, fill or wrap your pancakes with dictates what you should be drinking whilst you wolf them down. Here’s a selection of some of the more popular toppings you might decide on.
The best all-rounder – a serious quality cider
Also try Loire Chenin Blanc or off-dry Riesling
Fruit filling
In a recent masterclass, we created Pancakes with a touch of ginger and accompanied with rhubarb and Apple.
Matthieu Longuère MS had pre-selected a cider; ‘Finding a pairing for this dish is a no brainer, pancakes are known as crêpes in France. In crêperies all around the world the accompaniment is invariably cider. Here the pancakes are paired with tangy seasonal rhubarb and soothed by a good dollop of clotted cream. This unique dry cider is bursting with fresh apple flavour and really very refreshing, the balance more related to wine than your average cider. Although it is not a sweet cider, it is so ripe and fruity that is not going to clash with the compote and its crisp acidity will refresh the palate in between bites. Sydre is made from 20 different varieties of hand-picked cider apple, sweet, bitter or sour, grown on schist soil. The apples are grated and left to ferment for up to 6 months. It is a true vintage cider and can be kept for several years after the harvest. A real Grand Cru!’
The vintage dated cider was dry, but the appley sweetness brought to life the Rhubarb, yet the acidity cleansed the palate of pancake, fooling you into thinking you could both consume more cider and pancake.
A wine alternative to this serious cider might be a Loire Chenin Blanc or a off-dry Riesling from Germany.
Sydre Argelette, Eric Bordelet, Chateau de Hauteville, Normandie, France 2014
See images from how to make the perfect pancake
Sugar and Lemon
A very popular topping for your pancakes. Simple, sweet with citrus acid. A light, slightly sweet yet refreshing Moscato d’Asti would wash these down well, a Prosecco would work or if you can find it, Clairette de Die. If wine is not an option, put a bottle of Limoncello in the fridge.
Savoury cheese and ham
Again, reaching for the cider would be a wonderful match with this savoury pancake; or if you fancy a glass of wine, Pinot Blanc, Muscadet or Gavi di Gavi are all great options.
Chocolate sauce
You cannot beat a sweet red like Recioto Valpolicella or a red Banyuls to bring to life chocolate. But if you can’t dig these out, a really fruity, new world red with low tannin could also work.
Salmon
It has so be a Champagne method sparkling wine, to cut through the batter mix and bring the salmon to life.
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