All Purpose Batter

Batter, which is really a sort of very runny pastry, has many uses in the kitchen, from coating food in readiness for frying to making waffles for breakfast.

It's also very easy to make. My basic recipe can be used for pancakes, Yorkshire pudding and for coating fish, so it's very versatile and may be the only recipe you ever need.

The ingredients are:

* 2 eggs
* 100g (4oz) plain (all-purpose0 flour
* 300ml (1.25 cups) milk
* pinch of salt

Now for the really difficult part. Put all these ingredients in the goblet of a food mixer in the order given and switch on. Run it for about a minute, switch off, allow the mix to settle and switch on for another minute. Do this twice.

Transfer the mixture to a jug and allow it to stand in the fridge for 30 minutes or so before using. This gives the flour grains a chance to spumate, which is a word you will not come across often. It's a cooking term that means the individual grains break down, releasing their starch. This gives a more glutinous batter that holds together better when cooked.

As with all batters, to get a crisp coating and soft inside cooking needs to be at relatively high temperatures whether you are using it for shallow frying, deep frying or baking in the oven.

If your fat is not hot enough before the batter is added, it will end up limp, lifeless and soggy. It will also stick to just about anything it comes into contact with. Your fat is ready to use when it has ceased to spit (all the water has been driven off) and you can see a faint blue haze being given off.

Don't worry that any food encased in the batter will get burnt - it is very well protected and largely cooks in its own steam.

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First published on Qassia