Recipe - Hungarian Basic Pancake (Palacsinta)

The Palacsinta is probably the most requested recipe when my dad is here for a visit.  Of half Hungarian, half German descent, and 100% good cook, he is always the one to make this very special breakfast for my girls.
This is the Hungarian version of the Crepe.  The Hungarians would say they had the first - the French might say theirs was first, but many cultures have their own version of a thin pancake suited for filling.  Who knows? The Chinese probably had theirs before anyone else.
Being that we have a bit of Hungarian heritage in our family, this a is a favorite.  This recipe is adapted from George Lang's Cuisine of Hungary.

Palacsinta (said polly-chinta)
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 t sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup carbonated water
butter (for cooking)

Mix the first 5 ingredients to make a smooth batter. Let the batter rest for up to 1 hour.  Stir in the carbonated water just before cooking, gently mix with a whisk until incorporated. 
Heat an 8 or 10 inch crepe pan (flat fry pan). When hot, place a small amount of butter on the pan.  Let the butter melt.  Using a ladle, Pour the batter onto the hot pan, twirl the pan to coat.  (Until  you figure out how much to ladle on, pour off the extra batter so your pancake is not too thick.  Try to get just the right amount to coat the pan.)

Two pans of palacsintas, ready to flip.

When the top bubbles, and the bubbles stay open, carefully flip the pancake.  Cook a 30 seconds more to brown that side.  Remove to a warm plate in a warm oven.
Continue the process until you've used all the batter.  The recipe will make at least 1 dozen palacsintas.

The palacsintas, flipped and golden.

Serve the pancakes with various jams and preserves.  Apricot and cherry are our favorites.  Make a narrow line of jam down the center of the pancake, fold along the line and roll up.  Top with powdered sugar or syrup.  Serve with fresh cut fruit.

A stack of warm palacsintas ready to be filled and eaten.

These are a little labor intensive, but well worth the work.  My girls love them!  I hope you do, too!

Mmmm! Breakfast.

Recipe - Homemade Pancakes

This recipe comes from my favorite cookbook, Passion for Good Food and Lively Kitchens, by my friend Lisa Maloney.  Unfortunately it's not published.  She put a collection of her favorite recipes together for friends and family and bound them together for a Christmas gift years ago.  Our copy is well-work and used almost weekly. 

One of our favorite recipes is this one:
Homemade Pancakes
1 1/4 c all purpose flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
2 T sugar
3/4 t salt
1 egg
2 T melted butter

Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  In a small bowl, beat egg, add milk and melted butter.  Add wet ingredients to the dry, whisk gently.  Mix until just incorporated.  Do not over mix.

Heat griddle.  Cook over medium heat until bubbles form and stay open, then flip and cook until golden brown. 
Variation:  Add 2 T wheat germ to the dry ingredients.  Add a smidge more milk to the batter, as needed, after mixing.  The wheat germ will thicken the batter quite a bit.  I usually add 2 -3 T more milk.

These are our favorite pancakes.  Serve with real maple syrup and fresh berries.   And, if my kids happen to be making breakfast, they will also add a bit of Special Dark Chocolate Syrup and whipped cream.  It makes for the perfect "fancy breakfast."  Perfect for Mother's Day!  Mmmm.

Recipe - Breakfast Parfait

Sometimes it is all in the presentation. 
This "recipe" really makes the morning for my girls on those blah days.

Breakfast Parfait
1 cup berries
1 cup diced mango or sliced banana
1 container fat free yogurt, any flavor

2 pedestal dessert dishes

Divide the fruit into the two dessert cups.  Top with yogurt.  Serve with a side of your favorite cereal, I prefer granola.  Top the parfait with the cereal.

Ok, so this recipe is really not a recipe.  But it's not all a loss, either.  Sometimes the details are all in the details.  Use a pretty dish, try a new presentation, serve with a unique glass.  The reaction to the meal can be totally different if it looks different from the everyday and ordinary.  And, really, it didn't that that much more time to create.
Enjoy!

Recipe - Baked Pancake

This recipe has been part of my family for as long as I can remember. I have it committed to memory. It is quick and easy, but also impressive for a Sunday Brunch. It is also one of my girls' favorite weekend breakfasts. I have heard it called many things. It is basically like a giant popover, served with syrup.

Baked Pancake

(aka Big Fluffy Pancake, German Pancake, Dutch Baby)

Preheat a 12 inch oven safe skillet in the oven with 3 T butter at 400 degrees. Watch the pan so the butter doesn't burn, remove the pan when all the butter melts and let the oven reach full temperature.

3 eggs

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup flour

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until smooth. When the oven has reached temperature, pour the batter into the pan with the melted butter. Return to the oven; bake for 20 minutes, until golden and puffy

Serve with fruit, powdered sugar, or syrup.

The pancake will flatten as soon as you cut it, if you're looking for a fancy presentation, take it to the table before you cut into it, so your guests can see how beautiful it is.

(Variation: Using a 10 inch skillet, use 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup flour.)

 Take a look at Sweet Tooth Friday over @ Alli-n-son.