Palacinke

I always forget how much I love this dish until I bite into it when it’s fresh out of the oven.

Palacinke is known in European countries as a than a thin pancake or crepe. Though my maternal grandma is Swiss, I grew up eating this Croatian dish and it was my Swiss grandma who always made it. She learned from her husband (my grandpa’s) family. Some eight to 10 years ago, she taught me how to make this recipe. (In other words, I watched while she made it.)

Though everyone in the family loves this dish, we rarely make it. It’s not a hard recipe, just a bit putzy to put together. Mainly making the crepes. I had a tough time this go around. I didn’t remember the crepes being so thin, and I ruined four or five of them when they tore trying to get them from pan to plate.

I tweaked the traditional recipe slightly, so I’ll list the original family recipe and explain my variation at the end.

crepe ingredients.

• 2 c. flour
• 6 eggs, well beaten
• 3 T. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 T. melted shortening
• 3 c. milk

filling ingredients.

• 2 8-oz packages of cream cheese
• dash of salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 T. butter

topping ingredients.

• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 T. sugar

directions.

1. Sift flour, salt, and sugar together. Add milk and eggs. Add shortening. Whisk ingredients. Batter should be smooth.
2. Heat 8-inch skillet to a medium-high heat. The pan is hot enough when a couple of drops of water scatter across the pan and disappear in a second. Add 1 teaspoon melted shortening.
3. Using 1/3 cup measuring cup, pour batter into the skillet. Rotate the pan so batter covers the bottom evenly. Fry until golden brown on one side. Remove from pan. Repeat with remaining batter. Cool crepes.
4. Beat all filling ingredients until creamy. Spread each pancake with filling. Roll halfway up and then flip both ends in until touching and finish rolling. Lay seam-side down in a greased baking dish.
5. Spread with topping mixture. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

When I told my mom we are having an International themed potluck on Monday (and when I say “we” I mean me, Jaynie, and one of the VP’s named Maxwell); my mom suggested I make Palacinke. I had been leaning toward making Palacinke anyway. Mom says she likes to eat the dish cold; but I prefer them warm — especially when they’re straight out of the oven!

Because I lost so many crepes to tears, I had quite a bit of leftover filling. Instead of making the traditional topping; I mixed the leftover filling with sour cream. (Waste not, want not; right?)

When I asked Sis if she wanted to try one tonight, she asked me which kind I made.

Huh? I didn’t know there was more than one recipe. She insists Grandma Mo makes one with cottage cheese as well. If she does, I’m not aware nor have I ever tried making that recipe. I doubt I ever tried it growing up as cottage cheese never was one of my favorite kinds of cheeses.

Recipe rating: 