Cookbook:Palatschinken (Czech/Austrian Crepes)

| Cuisine of Czechia | Cuisine of Austria

Palatschinken or palačinky are flat round cakes, similar to pancakes, but thinner and made with a different dough. They are similar to the French crêpes, though Palatschinken are slightly thicker.

Palatschinken are a very versatile dish—they can be filled with sweet and savory fillings (jam, vegetables, stews, mushrooms, cheese) and rolled up, or cut into thin strips and put into broth (called frittatensuppe or "soup of fried things").

The dish is thought to have originated in Czechia, but it has been integrated very thoroughly into Austrian cooking. It might also originate from Romania or Hungary given the etymology of the word. It's a tasty dish for any occasion.

Ingredients

 * 250 ml milk
 * 150 g flour (wheat or spelt)
 * 3 eggs
 * 1 pinch salt
 * A few drops rum (optional)
 * Mineral water (optional, makes the dough more fluffy)

Special equipment

 * Coated 25–30 cm diameter frying pan that is as flat as possible

Procedure

 * 1) Mix the flour with the milk, stirring thoroughly. Mix in the eggs one-by-one, then stir in the salt and rum. If desired, thin the batter with a bit of mineral water.
 * 2) Heat the pan well. Add a drop of oil and rub it over the pan with a kitchen towel.
 * 3) Ladle a dipperful of the batter into the pan, tilting the pan so that the batter spreads as evenly as possible over the whole pan. Alternatively, you can accomplish this by using a special wooden tool used to spread crêpes.
 * 4) Let cook about 45 seconds to 1 minute until the top of the palatschinke is dry.
 * 5) Flip the pancake over, and allow it to brown for about 30 seconds on the other side. Remove from the pan, and set aside.
 * 6) Repeat the cooking process until you have used up all the batter.

Notes, tips, and variations

 * If you want to keep the palatschinken warm, put them into the oven at 50°C.

Variations

 * Add spices and/or herbs to the batter, according to the intended filling.
 * Replace part of the milk with beetroot juice to produce bright pink palatschinken.
 * Add spinach to the batter to produce green palatschinken.
 * Add saffron to the batter to produce golden palatschinken.
 * Filled palatschinken can be covered with cheese and baked.