Crêpes are sweet or savory treats

Crêpe is the French word for “pancake.” Crêpes are delicate, batter-based and savory or sweet creations that can be eaten at various times of the day. Crêpes may be enjoyed at breakfast filled with fresh berries, or as a dessert bursting with a luscious cream. While French crêpes are widely known, various cultures have their own variation of this super-thin pancake, including the Bavarian region of Germany. Palatschinken and Pfannkuchen are German/austrian crêpe varieties. German

German and Austrian crêpes are slightly thicker than French ones, but not nearly as thick as American pancakes. Enjoy this recipe for “Palatschinken (Crêpes),” courtesy of Little Vienna, an online recipe blog.

Palatschinken (Crêpes) Yields 5

2 large eggs

1 cup milk (8 fl. oz, 240 ml)

1 cup all purpose flour (31/2 oz, 130 g) 1⁄4 teaspoon fine salt

1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional, omit for savory fillings)

Butter, ghee or neutral tasting oil for coating the pan

Apricot jam for the filling

Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Whisk the eggs using a hand whisk in a medium bowl until lightly beaten. Add salt, vanilla extract (if used) and about 1⁄3 cup (80 ml) of the milk (just eyeball) and stir until combined.

Add flour and whisk until you get a smooth batter. The batter should be thick and tough so you can barely whisk it. Add a little of the remaining milk if it is too hard to stir. Lumps have no chance in thick batters.

Gradually add in the remaining milk while whisking.

Heat an 8-inch (or larger) nonstick pan over medium heat. Add 1⁄2 teaspoon butter (or oil) and spread it carefully with a spatula to coat the bottom of the pan evenly. This is important; otherwise, the butter will disturb you when swirling the pan for distributing the batter.

Pour 1⁄3 cup batter (for an 8-inch pan, more for larger pans) into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Once the bottom side is golden in color, flip it with a spatula and cook the other side for about 15 seconds. Invert onto a plate — the browned side should touch the plate, you should see the pale side. This way the nice-looking side will be outside when you roll it. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding 1⁄2 teaspoon of butter/oil for every crêpe. If the batter thickens over time, add a little milk. You can keep the ready ones warm on a plate in the oven at low temperature. Spread each Palatschinke with Apricot jam (or other filling) and roll it from one side to the other. Dust the Palatschinken with confectioner’s sugar and serve with a fork and spoon (the spoon serves as a knife)