How to Make Palacinke (Crepes)

Crepes are delicious to eat anytime, and best of all, they cost only pennies! The batter needs to be mixed well to eliminate all lumps, and a little wrist action by way of practice are the basic skills to making a plateful of yummy crepes or palacinke.

I make Dalmatian Palačinke (pal-la-cheen-ka) or crepes for a light dinner. Filled with homemade marmalade (fig, orange, or a fruit - yogurt combination) they are really delicious and a crowd-pleaser!

I personally prefer them with a fruit filling. My kids sometimes ask for them with a chocolate spread ("Euro-cream"). You don't need to put a lot, just a smooth and tiny one-over before you roll 'er up or fold in quarters.

So - Bon apetit, Dobar tek and Enjoy!!!

The recipe

4 eggs, well beaten, 2 T. sugar, 2 T. oil, 1/2 liter milk (half now and half later, being careful to add it in slowly with the flour).

In a separate bowl mix 1 cup of cake flour, 1 cup of regular flour, and 1 tsp. baking powder. Add a tiny bit of salt and mix well together with a fork until it has a very even consistency.

Slowly add the flour to the liquid mixture, alternating with the remaining milk, making sure to eliminate all lumps. A mixer is recommended, but not necessary.

When the batter is completely well blended, add a teaspoon or two of vanilla flavoring, 1 T. Rum, and the rind of about half a lemon. This adds a little contrast to the sweetness, giving extra flavor.

The consistency of the batter should be slightly soupy so you can scoop it up with a soup ladle. I have found this to be the easiest, and best, way to measure the batter going into the fry pan. Once you see to what level of the ladle makes the best palačinka, it's easy to remember for next time. For me it's about 1/4 inch less than a ladle-full.

You will need a shallow saucepan, oil and coffee cup, paper towels, clean dry tablespoon, and a large plate to put the palačinke onto.

Pour a little oil into the saucepan. Spread it around evenly and on the sides to prevent sticking. You will do this before frying each and every palačinke. Now, drain the excess oil, drop by drop, into the coffee cup and quickly wipe the side of the skillet, or else you could have an oil fire in your kitchen.

With the stove flame on medium, after a minute or two I always test the pan with a droplet of water. If it sizzles, it's ready to fry. If it's too hot, let it cool down a bit - otherwise you will have a burned crepe (UNPOPULAR!).

The ideal amount of batter to make your ideal palačinka depends on the size and depth of your fry pan, the size of the ladle, and so on. I have found palačinka zen at the 3/4 full level of my personal soup ladle. Don't be shy, just empty it into the saucepan. It should let out a satisfying sizzle and you need to rotate the pan at all angles to spread the batter across the whole pan. Your goal is a full moon effect, evenly covered, not too fat and not too thin. The first palačinka is usually a throw - away (which means the cook gets to eat it) because the batter most likely needs a little adjusting. If you unloaded too much batter into the pan, lessen it and the second one will be better, and maybe even dead-on.

Ok - do you think you've got it in you?

Tablespoon in hand, lightly loosen the edges of your palačinka so it will be easier to flip. You may try going a little bit deeper - about an inch or two from the circumference but the closer to the center you probe, the more likely of poking a hole through the middle - UH OH! so don't go there.

Now for the flip!

It's really quite easier, in fact easier than turning it around any other way.

Pick up the pan off the stovetop. After loosening the edges, shove it forward and back, forward and back a few times then - VOILA! toss that baby up into the air. It almost always lands just perfectly into the pan again! It's a great way to impress people, cuz it's really a lot easier than it looks, and you'll end up with a great palačinka!

Let the second side cook a little - say around 2 - 3 minutes - and slide it onto the plate.

Now - the oil again! Paper towel and coffee cup is a must. This ensures that the crepe, palačinka is not oily.

When you really get to be a superstar at this, consider what a friend of mine does. I actually know a woman who has two skillets going at a time - she flips one, pours the other, and somehow it all turns out perfectly!

I don't - one is enough for me. But it's a thought to consider for those who have it in 'em!

My dear traditional husband would never consider anything but his traditional homemade marmalade of quince, figs or plums. Homemade goes best with homemade, in his book!

If you end up on a roll making ten or more palačinka, it won't hurt them a bit to stack them up high until you use up all your batter and fill them up all at once. Since the palačinka itself has sugar and vanilla flavor, a little marmalade goes a long way. If they are overly sweet it can be too heavy.

Once you roll the top palačinka put it on a separate plate and lay five in one direction, five in another direction. An alternative method to rolling is to fold them into quarters, fold it in half one way then in half the other.

Some people like sprinkling sugar on the rolls but for me it's a little TOO sweet.

As I mentioned before, Eurocream, which can be 100% chocolate cream like Nutella brand, or half chocolate and half vanilla, can be substituted for the marmalade. ixM and match, decide which you like best - or have one of each!

These palačinke are fairly nutritious with the eggs and milk, flour and fruit filling. Admittedly they are a little fattening since they are lightly fried, but well worth the splurge every now and again, especially after a full afternoon of swimming or an impromptu meal at any time of the year. You can be proud of the fact that you've draining the extra oil off the skilled before you start frying, right there you have saved a bunch of unnecessary calories.

There exists a dessert made of palačinka - it consists of a huge stack of them with tiny layers of cream between each crepe! Then a chocolate sauce is poured over the entire mountain of Palačinke and some nuts can be sprinkled on top, along with whipped cream and a cherry, if you like.

Palačinke can also be filled with milk or cheese spread (not too zesty, just a light, creamy one) or be filled with tuna or vegetables. In this case, it would be wise to eliminate the vanilla and lessen the sugar to 2 teaspoonfuls.

Bon Appetit! And don't forget to try the flip!