Palstchinken or Palacinka

Here is the Palstschinken recipe I promised to write for my Grandies . Both my son and daughter know how to make Palstschinken or Palacinka and have added their own distinctive touches to the Austrian Crepes. My daughter has the Palstschinken pan that my parents brought over  from Europe and we used growing up to make our Palstschinken.  The pan shows the wear and tear of being used for over 80 years.

Palacinka or Palstschinken are the Austrian style of crepes  that my mother and I would make together every Sunday during the Winter months. During the summer months Sunday breakfast was Sunday Special served on Thomas's English Muffins. Palstschinken was a two persons operation. My main job was to twirl the wooden spoon between by hands since we didn't have an electric mixer. We only used a wooden spoon for the entire cooking procedure.

 From start to finish the twirling sometimes would take over 60 minutes and I got tired. I didn't complain because these Austrian Palstchinken were the most delicious food I had all week. After we cooked the Palstchinken,   my parents would eat their pancakes in their bedroom reading the Sunday paper and I would read Brenda Starr my favorite comic strip and other books in my bedroom.  It was the most peaceful time in our household usually punctuated by problems of one sort or another.

 Raspberry Jam was carefully spread on each Palstschinken and then sugar was sprinkled on top of the Jam. Finally the thin pancakes were rolled up like a Swiss Roll and cut into 1" slices. I am getting hungry right now.

 This is the basic recipe and directions on how to make the pancakes. You can make them quicker using an electric mixer which I do nowadays and you can substitute margarine for butter but each thing you do different makes the Palachinka taste different.

Recipe:

4 Eggs

1 cup of milk (You can substitute margarine in an emergency.)

1 cup of sugar

1 stick of butter at room temperature

1 cup of sifted flour ( I have been known to use pre-sifted flour)

(We didn't use salt in the house because of my father's high blood pressure, so I grew up not putting salt in my recipe.
 Raspberry Jam (Jelly if the seeds bother you) and sugar

                            Crepe Pan or skillet, various bowls and measuring equipment, wooden spoons ( you can use a mixer ) and the perfect Flipper, ( Thin but capable of supporting a Palachinka - I have been searching for the perfect Flipper all my life.), Paper Napkin

1. Separate the eggs and put the egg whites in one bowl and the egg yolks in another small bowl.

The egg whites will be beaten later.                  I have placed the egg yolks temporarily in the measuring cup.

2. Cream the butter and the sugar using a wooden spoon or fork. This is really the hardest part to get. If the butter gets too warm, the sugar will not mix well and you will see sugar granules.  If this happens, use it anyway,   You can use an electric mixer and there are instructions on the web.

 

How to Cream Butter and Sugar by Hand

This is the traditional way to cream butter and sugar together. It is also amazingly tiring.

Basically you use room temperature butter. Cut the butter into small pieces. Then you beat it with a wooden spoon until it becomes soft. Next you add the sugar. Keep beating them together (creaming), until it becomes fluffy, similar in texture to whipped cream, but a bit denser.

3. Mix in the egg yolks.

4. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff. Make sure you get all the liquidity egg whites on the bottom of the bowl and Set Aside. You will put the beaten egg whites in the last step. (Can you imagine doing this using a wooden spoon, I made famous the words: "Are I done yet?")

5. Slowly pour in 1 cup of milk and mix well.

6. After the milk is added, Very Slowly add the flour mixing the entire time. (Can you imagine doing this by twirling the wooden spoon between your hands, - it seemed to take hours. 

6a.  At this point I begin to warm up pan on the stove, eventually you are going to want it at Medium High.

7. Slowly and gently fold in the beaten egg whites.

8. You want your Palstschinken batter to be more liquidity then yogurt and pour easily. Most times you have to add small amount of milk to get the matter thinner and more pourable. You want the Palstschinken to be thin. If your batter is too thin , then the pancakes will not hold together when you try and flip them. Monitor and Adjust your batter pourability.

9.Your pan should be medium high to even higher. Spread the butter on the pan using a napkin. The butter should sizzle but not burn and there should be enough so that the butter leaks out of the edges of the Palstschinken.

10. Pour the batter into the pan and lift up and tilt the pan so the batter spreads almost to the edges of the pan.

11. The Palstschinken will cook very quickly. Bubbles Form. Flip the Palstschinken.

12. When the temperature of the pan is correct, this beautiful irregular lacy pattern forms. Often there is still liquid batter on the top of the Palstschinken when you are flipping it over which you can see in the picture above.

13. Lift the pan off the stove, gently turn the pan over and the Palstschinken will fall on to a waiting plate.

14. When I was little I would spread a thin layer of raspberry jam and sprinkle on some sugar. We would roll them up and cut them in slices or I would sneak and eat the whole pancake like a pressed fruit roll. Over the years we have added blueberries, strawberries, peaches, maple syrup, chocolate pieces, even peanut butter at my Sweet Sixteen Party.

I wonder if Gabba will try them with olives?