French Pancakes, Au Kummel

A one-line variation that assumes you already have the book's French pancake (crêpe) batter to hand. Everything hinges on the batter being thin and the liqueur being the right one.

• What the base batter is"French pancake preparation" means the book's crepe batter, which should be thin enough to pour and swirl, not a raised American pancake batter; a thick batter will not take the liqueur gracefully.
• KummelKümmel is a clear, sweetened grain spirit flavoured with caraway, and secondarily cumin and fennel. It is still made (Wolfschmidt and Gilka are the names usually seen) but is not a supermarket staple; do not substitute aquavit, which is drier and more aggressively spiced, without expecting a different pancake.
• One tablespoon is the ceilingOne tablespoon is enough -- alcohol interferes with gluten development and the liqueur brings a little sugar, so more than the stated tablespoon risks a more fragile pancake that colours faster. Treat the tablespoon as a flavouring rather than a soaking.
• Rest the batterMix the kümmel in with everything else and let the batter stand 30 minutes to an hour. The flour hydrates and the caraway note spreads through evenly rather than sitting in streaks.
• HeatA well-seasoned pan or crepe pan over medium-high, lightly buttered, about 45 seconds on the first side. Watch the first one and adjust the heat down if it darkens before it is set.
• The flavour survives cookingMost of the alcohol cooks off in the pan; the caraway aromatics largely stay.
• Yield and servingServing -- Serve them rolled or folded with sugar and lemon, or with a spoonful of apricot jam, which suits caraway better than chocolate or berry does.