April 5th
2008
A funny side-effect to food blogging is the way people perceive you and your passion for cooking. It's never been a secret to my friends that I tend to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, these days, however, they're inclined to overrate my daily food encounters. Can I say NO to an extravagant dish from time to time, surely not, but if push comes to shove, I'm happy to stick with easy and basic everyday recipes - which can be just as gratifying and delicious.
When I was a kid, my mum often times asked me in the morning what I wanted to have for lunch after school and chances were high that my first or second choice would have been thin pancakes filled with jam and cinnamon sugar - it was nonnegotiable, from my point of view. More often than not my mum surrendered to my stubbornness wish, and having been an extremely picky eater, options were limited anyway. While she stood at the stove, flipping one after another, I was topping them generously with strawberry jam from my grandma and dusting them off with a little cloud of cinnamon sugar. Yes, it was pretty easy to make me food-happy.
Naturally, pancakes filled with jam have a nostalgic meaning stapled to them, the aroma in my kitchen and the very first bite immediately transports me back to the 70's style, yellow kitchen I grew up in. Back then my mum and I always competed over who would eat more of them - a clever move from her to make a skinny girl eat a little more. As a kid, the magical number was three, nowadays it can grow beyond five and six...
In a large bowl add the flour, the salt and the eggs, beat until combined (don't overdo it), then add the milk and blend well. Sticking to these steps in the described order will help to avoid annoying lumps. Let rest for 15 to 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 100 °C (210 °F). Brush a plate with clarified butter, cover it loosely with aluminum foil and put it in the oven. Heat a preferably non-stick pan over medium to high heat and add a teaspoon of clarified butter. If a drop of water thrown into the pan starts to sizzle, you are good to go with your first pancake.
Pour a ladle of batter into the middle of the pan and move it swiftly until the batter covers the complete pan bottom and forms a nice round shape. Flip as soon as the bottom side shows signs of golden brown spots, then bake on the other side and remove from the pan. Using a spatula, transfer it to the oven and onto the plate to keep it warm (covered with aluminum foil) until you're all done.
Add some more clarified butter to the pan and start over again until all of the batter is used up.
Put the stack of pancakes in the middle of the table, so your dining buddies can help themselves. Generously top with jam, apple compote (or Nutella), sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, form to a tight roll and enjoy. And don't forget to count, how many you have eaten!
Pancakes with jam
Recipe source: my mum
Active time: ~30 minutes
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Ingredients (yields 12-14 pancakes):
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300 g all-purpose flour
5 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
450 ml milk
~ 75 g clarified butter for the pan
serve with jam or apple compote and cinnamon sugar
The last picture makes me want to bake these tonight. Our typical American pancakes are thicker and I guess they taste quite different. Will report back!
We have such similar stories related to crêpes! I was a skinny girl too, not too picky though, but for some reason it wasn't easy for me to gain weight.
Mom used to call me the thin pancakes queen because they were my favourites (still are). I ate them with a filling of farmer's cheese and raisins and somethimes with homemade jam. Since then I'm experimenting a lot with crêpes and could never be borred around them. That migh as well be a great effect of equally great memories.
Thank you for sharing your memories, that is very sweet of you :)
And here I thought I was going to find you stacking them into some sort of pancake-cake! :) Hmm...the possibilities.
Curious why you recommend clarified butter?
EDIT NICKY: Hi Sara, I prefer clarified butter, because if my pan gets a little too hot, regular butter burns quite fast and gets dark - leaving ugly dark spots on the pancakes. With clarified butter you're on the safe side.
Your post brings back memories. When I was a youngster my best friend's mom use to make these for us when I went over for a girls spend the night. She was sweedish. It was the best breakfast! Thanks........
Pictures are (as always) incredible.
The storytelling is sublime as well, especially the end resonated: "As a kid, the magical number was three, nowadays it can grow beyond five and six...".
Those look delicious! I'm so fascinated by the different ways people all around the world eat pancakes. I'm used to the thick fluffy American pancakes slathered with butter and drowned in maple syrup but these look so pretty and light and delicate...I must try them.
I have fond memories about pancakes as well; my grandma, who is Hungarian, used to make them. She uses sunflower oil instead of the clarified butter (this kind of oil has a high burning point, too). The filling of choice, and my favourite, is pressed cottage cheese flavoured with vanilla sugar and grated lemon rind. Yum.
Oh yum! I've never tried pancakes with cinnamon sugar but it sounds divine!
Are these similar to the German-style pancakes that are often eaten staked and savory? I've only head of their marvels....
Have you ever tried them with freshly squeezed lemon juice and sugar? My favourite way of eating them!
Oh yum! Looks delicious! Those photos are making me drool! Put some sugar and lemon on top and I'm set!
Great post! My Hungarian mother and grandmother made crepes for breakfast too! Fillings are strictly plum jam or lemon and sugar!
Oh my goodness, I wonder why I never thought to fill pancakes with jam before? I also love your obviously expert rolling technique.
That is very true...my friends look at me in shock when i want to order pizza or something like that! Your pancakes look amazing!
These look incredible. A perfect Sunday morning treat!
Mmmm looks great! I think the best is with apricot jam, of course home made apricot jam. Yummy!
Sometimes the most simplest recipe is so very elegant. I love mine with Nutella. Mmmm...
right about now the very thought of this is making my mouth water...
simple is wonderful
I love skinny pancakes like these. They look wonderful!
Yum! I prefer these to the regular American-style pancakes anytime!
Wow, habe ganz vergessen, dass es auch oft Pfannkuchen mit Zimt& Zucker gab als ich klein war. Danke für die Erinnerung! Muss ich mal wieder machen. P.S.: Love your web site!
Delicious looking. That little drip of jam did me in. My next pancake-related gig is a clafoutis, but this may be next down the line. Lovely.
I just printed this out and I plan on trying to make some this weekend. Just want to also say that I discovered your blog while I was living in Munich 2006-2008 and I just love it. I usually end my day with a visit to DD to see what you have to say. Now I am living in Washington DC and I so miss Munich (Pfaffenhofen). Another side note, just realized we have the same last name, with the same spelling. Karen
I prefer thick fluffy pancakes over skinny crêpes but those look very very yummy.. jam and cinnamon sugar sounds like a beautiful combination.
I like mine with savoury filling like ham and cheese or mushrooms sauteed in butter.
wow, this looks good, I thought it's a crepe,
my boy loves pancake, but I love crepe, this is combination of both! Thanks for sharing!
worrrrrddd it looks lovely!
the simplest things do dont they!
Ohhhhhh, I made these for my two daughters and they loved them! But I never should have put Nutella on the table, the homemade apple sauce didn't have a real chance.
Yum. We will now add this to our list of delicious pancake treats inspired by the great culinary minds of DD. The impact of Kaiserschmarrn is still being felt throughout our neighborhood (nobody seems to remember that we are supposed to save this recipe for the Christmas holidays.) We've had an early Spring here in San Francisco, and we tried this with some fresh strawberries mashed up with a touch of sugar. Wow.
[...] Stack Em - A great and easy recipe for thin pancakes. I also like the fact that they call them ‘thin pancakes’ and not ‘crepes’ to keep the stink of pretentiousness out of it all. [via Delicious Days] [...]
I have been making many batches of crepes for my family lately. A sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, a couple sliced strawberries, and a dollop of whipped cream - YUM!
yum! just stumbled upon your site and looks like i will enjoy returning. my danish parents raised us on thin pancakes - with jam, but also with maple syrup (guess that's a canadian add-in) and lemon juice. something we enjoy is to sub half the milk for some beer - adds a great flavour to the pancakes (but not something you would note as beer), and a little nutmeg.
here in northgermany no one likes sweet pancakes for lunch,they all think its dessert.
So I always do them with vegetables or meat or both roll them spread grated cheese over them and abke them a little till the cheese is melted.
So yummy!!!!
But you know what my american hostchild like the sweet german pancakes and is still in love with them.
My mother is originally from Stuttgart and she made these Pfannkuchen often. Now I make them for my children. We eat them with strawberry jam but our preferred method is with a sprinkling of Maggi - a German seasoning. Sounds strange but we think it's delicious.
It's like your own pancake Pop Tart! I would try it with a different spead like Marionberry ( the fruit, not the former mayor of D.C.)