Swedish Pancakes

My friend came over the other morning to help me transition my blog from blogspot to this dot com. I am thrilled with the results so far! Before I bombarded her with all my questions, wants and needs, I fed her these Swedish pancakes. A good rule of thumb to follow when you need someones help is to first bribe them with food. It sets the pace for a good day.

I am in love with Swedish pancakes. They are heavier and more eggy than a crepe, yet still thin. They are really easy to prepare too, so that's a plus. I made these last Summer for about 10 people and it was great because you can whip up your batter in the blender, pour it into the hot, buttered skillet, cook, flip and keep warm in the oven until you are ready for them. They won't dry out, I promise.

We topped ours with maple and boysenberry syrup and my favorite was the latter. Berry flavors go really well with these. In fact, If you were to order the Swedish pancakes at IHOP they would come served with a sauce made from lignonberries. At least, that's what they used to come with. No need for butter. really, trust me on this one. There is enough butter in the batter and on the skillet you make these in to ever need more.

Swedish Pancakes

adapted from Food Network Magazine

makes 12 pancakes

8 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups whole milk

3 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

Confectioners sugar, maple syrup and fresh fruit, for garnish

Melt 4 tablespoons butter. Combine the flour, milk, eggs, melted butter, vanilla, and salt in a blender; process until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Warm the same skillet over medium heat until a drop of water bounces and sizzles. Add 1 teaspoon butter; turn to coat the pan with the melted butter. Pour in about 1/3 cup batter and quickly swirl the pan to evenly coat the bottom. Cook until the pancake sets, 1- 1 1/2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, carefully lift the pancake by the edges and flip; cook until lightly golden on the other side, 15 to 30 seconds. transfer to a plate; keep warm in the oven while making the others. repeat with the remaining butter and batter to make about 12 pancakes. if the pancakes seem too thick, thin the batter slightly with warm water. Fold or roll and serve with confectioners sugar, syrup and fresh fruit.

My friend made a version of these the other day and had trouble with the flipping. The easiest way I have found is when it's ready, tip your skillet so the pancake slides out half way holding a rubber spatula under it for support, then fold it over. It should happen easily. I'm loving my new website, but still tweaking things, so be patient with me! And uh, hopefully my photography will keep improving ;)