Aaah, the weather’s cooler…. so now it’s time for some serious comfort food.
A sweet traditional family recipe from my Aunty Daph, who is married to Robert, a lovely Croatian man. Multicultural home-cooking – how good is that!? Yum!
Croatian Pancakes
by Daphne Misbrener
Pancake mixture:
2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups milk
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
30g melted butter
Plum butter (purchase from continental deli, or fruit shop)
Cheese Mixture:
400g cottage cheese (from deli is best as it is drier than creamed cottage cheese in a tub)
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar.
Mix all together, add a little cream if too dry.
For Topping before cooking.
Castor sugar
Cream
Whisk all pancake ingredients together until smooth.
Heat crepe pan and grease with a little olive oil.
Using a large spoon or a measuring cup, pour about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of mixture
(depending on size of pan) into pan and tilt till suface is covered.
Cook on medium heat until brown, flip over and brown other side.
Stack on a plate.
Grease a large ovenproof dish with a little olive oil.
Spread jam (I use Croatian Provodil plum butter) in centre of a pancake to within 2cm of edge, not too thick as it will run out when heated. Roll it and place in baking dish.
Spread the next pancake with cheese mixture spread lightly, roll it up and place it next to the first jam one.
Alternate jam, and cheese rolled pancakes in baking dish, close together. You can keep in fridge overnight if liked, covered with plastic wrap.
Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons of castor sugar.
Drizzle cream over all pancakes.
Cover with foil and bake in a moderate over for about 1/2 hour, untill heated through and look puffy.
Serve one of each flavour on a pretty plate.
🙂
Hi Tractor girl! I would really like to try your pancake recipe, but cannot find the plum butter anywhere! (I do live in the sticks, so I have limited access to such foods). Just wondering if you knew where I could purchase it from online? Or if you source it from Wagga I do occasionally visit there. Thanks, Emily.
Hi Emily,
European Plum Butter is basically like a jam, but cooked with very little sugar (sometimes no sugar) so that it ends up with a slightly tart finish. I have seen it in the larger supermarkets in Wagga, so you could try Coles or Woolies. Other than that, you could try making your own (I googled this recipe – http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/fruits/r/powidla.htm). I’d suspect that using ordinary plum jam would change the character of the finished pancakes by making them too sweet (although perhaps, still quite delicious!). Tell me how you go!
Yes, Woolies or Coles may have the Plum Butter, or large fruit shops and Delicatessens usually stock it. Aunty Daph.