Cream Pancakes

A rich, eggy cream batter closer to a thin French crêpe than a modern buttermilk pancake, with no chemical leavening at all — the lift comes entirely from the beaten eggs and the fat.

• QuantitiesA "small cupful" of thick cream is probably somewhere around 5–6 fl oz of heavy cream; the measure was never standardised. "Butter about the size of an egg" is conventionally taken as about 2 oz, or 4 tablespoons. The recipe simply says to put it with the batter; softening or melting it first will help it combine without lumps.
• Flour, by feelNo flour weight is given because the cook was expected to judge the batter. Start with 3–4 oz (about ¾ cup) and add more only until it coats a spoon and pours in a ribbon. Overshooting gives a tough, bready cake.
• The odd egg countThree yolks to two whites, with no reason given. The likely effect is a richer, less airy batter than three whole eggs would give; rounding up to three whole eggs will make a plainer pancake.
• Why the resting time mattersThe instruction to make the batter two or three hours ahead is the one worth keeping. Resting hydrates the flour and relaxes the gluten, which is what stops the cake from shrinking and toughening in the pan.
• Griddle heat and "the usual way"The recipe gives no heat guide at all. Moderate heat with only a film of extra fat is safest, since the batter already carries a good deal of butter and will scorch on a hot pan.
• Five or six minutesLonger than a thin pancake needs, which suggests a thicker cake; poured thin, each side wants only 1–2 minutes: turn when the surface loses its gloss and the edges set.
• YieldRoughly eight thin pancakes in an 8-inch pan on these quantities, serving two or three. The recipe calls only for "a little sugar" in the batter, so sugar, lemon or preserves at the table would suit.