Gundel Pancake/Gundel Palacsinta

This year the pancake day will be on the 12th of February. To celebrate this grand occasion, I made some pancakes in preparation, to have a practise run before the big day. Gundel Pancake is a traditional Hungarian pancake created and invented by Karoly Gundel. It is a pancake with ground walnuts, raisins and rum filling served flambéed dark chocolate sauce. It is quite heavy, I would be surprised if you could eat more than two even if you are a big guy. Due to traditions I included my dear friend, Kabi's kitchen pancake batter recipe.

Gundel Pancake / Gundel Palacsinta

For the Batter (makes about 20)

400g plain flour

3 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

500ml milk

250ml sparkling water of soda water

4 eggs

sunflower oil

For the filling(for 4-7 pancakes)

4 tbsp rum

80 g of raisins

60 g grated walnut

65 g chopped walnut

150 ml double cream

50 g caster sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

For the chocolate sauce

80 g dark chocolate, chopped

100 ml single cream

2 egg yolks

1/2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp caster sugar

2 ek rum

Before you start the pancakes, put the raisins in a bow and pour the rum on top. Leave it to soak for 1 hour, or until you ready with the pancakes. As the rum won't cover the raisins, stir it time to time.

Sift the flour in a mixing bowl and add the salt and sugar. Make a well in the middle and add the eggs and the milk(add the milk in two portion mixing well in between). Mix it well, and slowly add the sparkling water until it reach the consistency  of thicker single cream. 

Stir it up before you start to make them. Heat up the pan until very hot with some oil and make the first batch of the pancakes. Poor the mixture in the middle of the pan, and with circular motion of your wrist spread it evenly. When the edges start to brown flip it with a plastic spatula or a flat wooden spoon. In order to get out of the kitchen before midnight use at least 2 frying pan/pancake pan...I usually do it with three and create a small production line.

Put the double cream in a heavy based pan, add the sugar and bring it to boil. When it reached boiling point add the chopped and the grated walnut, cinnamon and cook it for further 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave it to cool for a few minutes then add the rum soaked raisins and the rum if left any. Stir it well, and add some more rum, if you require so.

Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl over boiling water with the single cream and stir it until the chocolate is incorporated with the single cream. Take off from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks first then the butter and sugar. Return the bowl above the boiling water and reheat it.

Take one pancake fill it with the hot walnut filling and fold it in half then to another half, to get the typical quarter shape. Place one or two on the plate, pour on top the chocolate sauce. To flambé the pancakes, just pour some rum on top of the chocolate sauce than light it with a blow torch. Please be really careful and if you don't want flambéed Gudnel pancakes, just simply pour the rum into the chocolate sauce.

Buttermilk Pancakes

I had some leftover buttermilk in the fridge, so I used it the best way possible: for buttermilk pancakes. I bought the British Cooking cookbook long time ago, purely to discover recipes from different regions and have some historical background to each dish. For this recipe they give a short description:

"These little pancakes are a traditional Irish recipe and are made with buttermilk, which is widely available in Ireland. The pancakes are quite like the drop scones that are so familiar across the water in Scotland, with Welsh and English variations too. They are delicious served warm, with honey." 

I have to mention buttermilk is quite common nowadays...just to to your local supermarket, they usually stock it with the creams.

Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients makes about 12

225g pain flour

1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2-4 tbsp sugar

1 egg

about 300ml buttermilk

butter or oil for frying

In a large mixing bowl mix together the plain flour, the bicarbonate of soda and the sugar to taste(..if you want salty topping then only add 2 tbsp). Add the egg, mixing together, and gradually pour in just enough of the buttermilk to make a thick, smooth batter.

Heat a heavy based pan and add the butter or oil. Place spoonfuls of the batter on to the hot pan and cook for 1-2 minutes or until bubbles rise to the surface. Flip the pancakes over and cook for a further 1-2 minutes. Remove from the pan and serve warm with the choice of your topping. While cooking the pancakes always cover the ready ones with kitchen foil to keep them warm.

American Pancake /Amerikai Palacsinta

My mum and my sister is staying with us this week, and I asked them what they would like to eat. They said American pancake with maple syrup would be great, as they only saw it on  the telly so far. So here it is on the first day for breakfast:

American Pancake

Ingredients (makes about 15 small pancakes)
200g flour
14g baking powder
20g icing sugar
20g maple syrup
40g melted butter
2 eggs
1.5 dl milk

some oil to grease the pan

Mix the flour, baking powder, icing sugar maple syrup, melted butter and eggs and slowly add in the milk, mixing well between each addition. You will have a thick butter.

Heat a frying pan and with a silicone brush apply a few drops of vegetable/sunflower oil. Pour a big spoonful of batter to the pan and fry each side for 30 seconds.

While cooking cover the ready pancakes with a kitchen foil to keep them warm until the rest is ready.

Serve with maple syrup, butter or jam...

Pancakes:Banana and Coconut, Curd cheese and Raisin, Summer fruit and Custard

My husband were moaning all the time, that I don't make pancakes for him.... Well he had a bad day today, so I decided to cheer him up...guess I managed it:) I always made up my batter as I go, but here is my friend's, Kabi's Kitchen batter recipe. I never measured the ingredients so now I tired his recipe and it is like mine:)well the end result. 

Pancakes or Crêpes 

(Banana and Coconut, Curd cheese and raisin, Summer Fruits and Custard)

For the Batter (makes about 20)

400g plain flour

3 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

500ml milk

250ml sparkling water of soda water

4 eggs

sunflower oil

Sift the flour in a mixing bowl and add the salt and sugar. Make a well in the middle and add the eggs and the milk(add the milk in two portion mixing well in between). Mix it well, and slowly add the sparkling water until it reach the consistency  of thicker single cream. 

Stir it up before you start to make them. Heat up the pan until very hot with some oil and make the first batch of the pancakes. Poor the mixture in the middle of the pan, and with circular motion of your wrist spread it evenly. When the edges start to brown flip it with a plastic spatula or a flat wooden spoon. In order to get out of the kitchen before midnight use at least 2 frying pan/pancake pan...I usually do it with three and create a small production line.

If your pancake is too thick add some sparkling water.

Fillings

Banana and Coconut filling (enough for 4-8 depending how much you put in)

So this first filling was the winner today, but I guess we never had pancakes with banana or coconut before, so it was new for us. Actually I just mixed these ingredients together not knowing what will be like. But now on it is on my pancake filling list of all times:)

Ingredients

250ml double cream

100g creamed coconut

100g dessicated coconut

 Banana (1 per pancake)

50g dark chocolate

100ml double cream

With an electric mixer whip the double cream to soft peaks. Add in the freshly grated creamed coconut and the dessicated coconut and mix it together.

Slice the bananas. 

Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over boiling water in a pan. When it is melted add the double cream in small portions and mix well between each addition. Depending on the type of chocolate you use, maybe it will need less or a little more double cream, what you looking for is a thick chocolate sauce texture.

Put a layer of coconut cream to the pancakes and arrange the banana slices on top. Fold on the other half of the pancake then add some chocolate sauce on top. 

Curd Cheese and Raisin (Túrós mazsolás)

This filling is undoubtedly Hungarian, and my childhood favourite(mind you there wasn't an awful lot of choice back then: this filling, jam, or cocoa/cinnamon+sugar), but I sill love it.

Ingredients (for about 10 pancakes)
250g curd cheese *More on this topic at Tricks and Recommendations
150 ml double cream
zest of 1\2 lemon
3 tbsp icing sugar
50g raisins( preferably soaked in hot water for 10 minutes before using it)

Whip the double cream to hard peaks with an electric mixer. Add the curd cheese, lemon zest, icing sugar and raisins and mix it.
Well that is it. You can fill your pancakes and roll it or fold it:)

Summer Fruits and Custard

Ok I admit, I committed a sin: I used custard powder, instead making my own one. But I am human and I have a day job, so sometimes I have to make short cuts:)

Ingredients

selection of summer fruits: I used loganberries, strawberries and blackcurrants

custard powder

Clean your fruits and arrange on the pancake. Mix the custard powder with hot water and pour it on top of the pancake.

So these were my fillings for today but you can use anything else like: jam, nutella, nuts,  cinnamon/cocoa powder and sugar mix, lemon juice and sugar, fruits with whipped cream on the top, caramelised fruits with ice cream and coulis, etc.