Thin Pancakes Aka Crepes Food

THIN PANCAKES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, sift in the flour, salt, and sugar (if using). Make a well in it and crack in two eggs. Add in about 1/4 cup of milk. Whisk the eggs together, slowly incorporating in the flour.
• As the batter starts to thicken, slowly continue to whisk in the rest of the milk. The batter should go from lumpy to smooth. Whisk in the oil. You can also use an electric mixer on low speed to bring everything together.
• Preheat a 10 or 12-inch non-stick skillet or crepe pan on medium-high heat. Make sure the skillet is nice and hot before you start making the pancakes.
• Melt a bit of butter on the pan and swirl it around so it evenly coats the pan. Alternatively, melt the butter in a small bowl and brush it on using a silicone basting brush (see post for why I prefer to use a brush).
• Pour on the pancake batter and quickly swirl the pan around so the pancake batter spreads into a thin layer. I use a crepe spreader to get the perfect round and thin pancake (see post for why this is a handy tool).
• Cook for about 30 - 45 seconds, until the top of the pancake is no longer liquid. Gently shake pan to loosen the pancake. Carefully flip the pancake over and cook for an addition 30 - 45 seconds.
• Slide the pancake onto a plate, and serve warm. Top with a squeeze of lemon and a generous shake of powder sugar.

THIN PANCAKES

Steps:

• Melt the butter and add the eggs and milk.
• Mix well.
• Add baking powder, flour (and salt). Mix well.
• Pour enough out to make a pancake about 3" across onto a hot, oiled griddle, but the amount you pour out really depends on how big you want the pancakes to be.

LATTYJA (FINNISH CREPES/PANCAKES)

Steps:

• Use a bowl large enough to hold all ingredients.
• Beat eggs, sugar and salt together.
• Add flour, milk (1% or 2% can also be used) and melted butter.
• Beat with whisk or hand mixer until not lumpy.
• Adjust the mixture by adding additional milk to thin it. Thinner mixture works better.
• You can make the mixture ahead of time and refrigerate; however you will need to add additional milk to thin it for frying.
• Heat a non-stick pan at medium-low, add butter to coat the surface; use only enough to coat the pan. (We use a cast-iron mini-round indented pan for ours that acutally came from Sweden - thanks for reminding me to add this!).
• While lifting the pan by the handle with one hand, pour some of the mixture onto the frying pan.
• Tilt the pan so that the mix coats the surface of the frying pan; return to heat.
• Cook until the crepe starts to brown; cook the other side until brown circles start to form.
• Move the crepe around the pan to keep the pan greased and remove the crepe.
• You can put sugar, jams or preserves onto the crepe and roll up to eat, or just dip and eat off of the plate. Serve with strawberry jam and whipped cream for the traditional Finnish dish.
• They don't stay hot for long, so eat up while you can or there won't be any left for you!

EASY CRêPES

Steps:

• Weigh the flour in a large jug or bowl. Crack in the eggs, add half the milk and a pinch of salt. Whisk to a smooth, thick batter. Add the remaining milk and whisk again. Set aside for at least 30 mins.
• Heat a large non-stick crêpe pan or frying pan. Add a drizzle of oil, then wipe out the excess with kitchen paper. When the pan is hot, add enough batter to just cover the surface, swirling it and pouring any excess back into the bowl. The pancake should be as thin as possible. When the edges are peeling away from the sides of the pan, shake it to see if the pancake easily releases and is browning on the underside. If not, cook a little longer. Flip and cook the other side for a minute or two. Serve, or keep warm in a low oven.

POLISH NALESNIKI (VERY THIN PANCAKE) CREPES

Steps:

• Blend topping ingredients and chill.
• Blend eggs well in a blender, then carefully add flour.
• Add milk.
• Let sit 5 minutes.
• Heat butter or spray cooking spray in frying pan.
• When pan is hot, pour in a small amount of batter (only enough to make a paper-thin pancake), turning pan to coat the bottom.
• When light brown, do not turn over but remove from pan.
• Spread with good cherry or raspberry jam, roll, top with sweetened sour cream and or dust lightly with powdered sugar.

BELGIUM PANCAKES A.K.A. CREPES

Steps:

• Beat the eggs and add to the milk, vanilla, and water beating either by hand or mixing in electric blender.
• Sift the flour with salt and gradually add to the egg and milk mixture.
• Add the melted butter and blend thoroughly.
• If mixing by hand, strain the batter through a sieve to remove any lumps.
• Allow to stand for at least an hour before using. If too thick, add a little more water and mix well.
• Pour one or two tablespoons of the batter (depending on the size of the pan) in the center of a hot, lightly oiled frypan. Tip the pan to spread the batter and cook until the top is dry. Turn over and cook for 15 seconds on the other side.
• Serve with butter, brown sugar, and or powdered sugar.
• Prep time includes 1 hour resting.

GRANDMA'S SWEDISH THIN PANCAKES

Steps:

• Combine eggs, milk and oil in a 2-quart mixing bowl.
• Mix well with wire whisk.
• In small bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt.
• Mix well.
• Using wire whisk, mix flour mixture into egg mixture.
• Let rest for about 10-15 minutes.
• Lightly grease skillet. I like to use a non-stick saute pan. My husband uses a cast iron skillet. I think both work fine.
• Preheat skillet over medium high heat.
• Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto hot skillet.
• With a circular wrist motion, swirl pan until batter is evenly covering bottom of pan.
• Cook until edges just start to brown.
• Carefully flip pancake over with a thin spatula. (I like to use a wide one).
• Cook turned crêpe about 20 seconds or until lightly browned.
• Slide onto plate to cool.
• Continue cooking remaining batter using same method.
• Serve hot by spreading with butter and syrup. Or Lingonberry preserves. Or sprinkled with powdered sugar. Then roll up like a crepe and enjoy.