Pancakes

Pancakes I hear you thinking, yes pancakes but my Dutch way :-). Before I give you my recipe what's going to be difficult because I don't measure things, I will tell you that in The Netherlands where -shouldn't you know by now- I have been born, there are typical 'Pannenkoeken' (pancake) restaurants. It sounds a bit bizar but I searched on the internet some typical Dutch pannenkoeken restaurants so you have an idea how they look from the out and inside. The outside wasn't too difficult, but the inside was...they are nowadays so modern, so a picture of a man with a pile of pancakes but you have to look at the tablecloth ;-)

For +/- 6 pancakes:

Shopping list

About 300 grams of flour (plain)
Real butter
Almost half a liter of Milk

2 large Eggs
A pinch of salt
For the topping:
Sugar (which you prefer)
Syrop (stroop in Dutch)
Apple* (cut in small pieces or rings)
Sultana's (rozijnen in Dutch)*

I always siff the flour in a bowl then I add 2 large eggs and start stirring with a whisk, then I add milk until I have a smooth substance. And then and don't forget it because your pancake wouldn't taste as nice as it should be add a pinch of salt.

* If everybody likes their pancakes with apple and/or sultana's, it's easier to add them to the liquid, if not then  when frying the pancake, add some apple/sultana's, then put some more liquid on them to cover them.

Take a frying pan (best is to use one which you use for eggs but...any will do besides a fish one) melt some butter and then pour some of your mix so that it covers the whole bottom of the pan.
When you see that the pancake starts to get dry, put some more butter in the pan and turn the pancake. You can throw them up high towards the ceiling, but I can't.
Then just fiddle around with the pancake knife to see if it's ready....it doesn't take long!

According to taste put some syrup or sugar (whatever you fancy) on top of it and I say 'eet smakelijk'!

Tip....the first pancake is never the best, so give that to ........ (fill in the blancs) :-)

Dutch Poffertjes

Poffertjes is a sweet dish, like little pancakes, that's typical Dutch. Even Bill Clinton ate them in Delft when he was visiting The Netherlands.

Shopping list:
250 grams of wheat flour

A special pan for poffertjes is needed

250 ml of slightly warmed milk
1 large egg or 2 medium sized eggs
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons of golden syrup

Preparation:

Sift the flour and baking powder, mix it with salt. Stir in the milk little by little. Stir the syrup and the eggs into the batter.

Heat the 'poffertjespan' so that the pan is really hot and lubricate the dimples with melted butter. Reduce heat slightly lower, at about medium heat. Enter the dimples halfway with the batter. Let the bottom brown and turn the pancakes with a fork gently.

Serve the pancakes hot with a little butter and icing sugar.

Clafoutis with plums

It's the time of year, our plum trees are bending over. Enjoy this clafoutis tarte, even I could do it so it's a tarte for dummies like me. About 14 persons can enjoy it.

Shopping list:

3 eggs
115g butter, softened
100g caster sugar  (or brown sugar)
1 teaspoon lemon zest  (or  little bit of lemon juice)
125g flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
little bit of salt (like you do in pancakes)
230 gr plums, pitted and sliced

Preheat oven to 175 degrees . Grease a round baking pan of 23 cm and flour.
Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites in a small bowl until stiff and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar. Mix the egg yolks and lemon zest.
Mix the flour and baking powder and mix into the butter mixture over. Carefully fold the whipped egg whites. Spread the batter evenly in the pan. This is only about 2.5 cm. Arrange the plums with the skin side down in the batter.
Bake the cake cooked 40 minutes in the preheated oven. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Result with brown sugar

Stoned plums

Mixture

Egg whites beaten (up) with eyes ;-)

Banana eggs

Recently I saw a video how to make a healthy and different breakfast. Well here is the recipe.
I think it certainly would suit young children, but would be nice on a breakfast buffet for guests, with some more red fresh fruit on top.

Shopping list:

1 Banana
2 Eggs
Sunflower oil for frying

How to prepare:

Peel the banana and cut in pieces
Break the eggs and mix with the banana
If the banana is not ripe enough, then you need an electric mixer
Mix them, but keep some of the pieces
Put some oil in the frying pan
Take a sauce spoon and fry them
When brown, turn them over, just like pancakes.

Tip: I think it's even better with some sugar or caramel sauce on top, for the non-healthy option.
If you use a steel ring, heart, you can style it more than I did.

They look a bit on the dark side