It’s not a big deal to make crêpes (palacsinta), but there are a few tricks that can make your job easier. Crêpes will be lighter, if you sift the flour before adding to the batter. Soda water serves the same purpose, therefore the batter usually consists of equal parts milk and soda water.
Sugar in the batter makes crépe more delicious, however, it also increases the risk that crepe sticks to the pan, so if you are not so practised in crepe frying yet, consider leaving out this ingredient. Filling and powdered sugar dusting can also ensure the sweet taste.
Stirring 1-2 tablespoons of oil into the batter helps you avoid using too many oil during the frying process. In this case you have to grease the pan with oil only once before the first crépe, after that the batter’s oil content will be enough to prevent crêpes from sticking to the pan.
The number of crépe fillings is infinite, you can use anything you want, there are no limits. Cottage cheese is one of the most popular fillings, which is the best with lemon zest and vanilla. My cottage cheese crêpes are a bit out of the ordinary because they are oven baked and topped with sweetened sour cream.
Ingredients:
For the batter:
- 250 g (~2 cups) flour, sifted
- 1 tbsp sugar (optional)
- 2 eggs
- 500 ml (~2 1/5 cups) milk or 50-50 % milk and soda water
- 25 ml (~1 1/2 tbsp) oil
- 1 tbsp rum (optional)
- pinch of salt
For the filling:
- 250 g (~1/2 lb) cottage cheese
- 2 egg yolks
- 3 egg whites
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- zest of a half lemon
- 1 tbsp sour cream
For the topping:
- 250 g (~9 oz) sour cream
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp sugar
Beat the eggs with salt and sugar. Add half of the milk (or soda), then gradually add flour while continuing to beat. Pour in the remaining milk and beat until well combined. As a last step, stir in rum and oil. Wrap and place the batter into the fridge for 2 hours. After the rest the batter reaches the right consistency, but sometimes it might be thicker than expected, in this case dilute it with some milk.
Melt 1-2 teaspoons of oil in a hot frying pan. Tilt the pan to run fat around all of the bottom pan surface. Pour a little batter into pan, and tilt pan to let batter run around to cover the whole surface. When the bottom of the crépe is golden brown, flip over. Cook until the other side is also golden. Slide crépe out onto a platter. Repeat until the batter runs out. It makes 18-20 crêpes.
For the filling combine cottage cheese with egg yolks, sugar and sour cream. Add lemon zest and vanilla. Beat the egg whites until stiff, and gently fold into the mixture. Fill the crêpes, roll them up and place them in one layer in a greased baking pan. Thoroughly mix sour cream with egg yolk and sugar, and spread it evenly on top of the crêpes. Bake at 200°C / 392°F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
photos: zserbo.com
