The Ervin Family: Dutch Pannekoeken (Pancakes)

My mom's side of the family is Dutch and so we have a lot of stories, traditions, and recipes that have been handed down. My "Pake" (Grandpa) immigrated when he was a child, and when he was an adult, took his family to Bonaire, which is a Caribbean island which is owned by the Netherlands. They were Trans World Radio missionaries there, so my mom grew up and learned how to speak the language and has since tried to pass a lot of the heritage down to her own family. I love the heritage that I have inherited, and especially this delicious but simple recipe for Dutch Pannekoeken, or pancakes.

This isn't what American's would think of as a pancake...it is more like a thick crepe, and it is much larger than our fluffy pancakes. You can drizzle it with a thick "koekenstroop" (syrup) that is more like molasses than our maple syrup. There are many Pannekoeken Huizen in Holland; restaurants where they serve this dish. There are lots and lots of toppings and combinations you can order for your pancake--almost how we treat pizza in America! This version is how my mom taught me to make pannekoeken, and our favorite salty/sweet topping combination: ham, cheese, and apples.

The ingredients for the pancake are flour, sugar, eggs, milk, salt and vegetable oil.

The measurements are different depending on how many pancakes you want to make.

Keep in mind, these pancakes are pretty filling.

2 adults: 1 c. flour, 1 1/2 c. milk, 2 eggs, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 1 Tbsp. oil, 1/8 tsp. salt

4 adults: 2 c. flour, 3 c. milk, 4 eggs, 4 Tbsp. sugar, 2 Tbsp. oil, 1/4 tsp. salt

5 adults: 2 1/2 c. flour, 3 1/2 c. milk, 5 eggs, 5 Tbsp. sugar, 2 1/2 Tbsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. salt

6 adults: 3 c. flour, 4 c. milk, 6 eggs, 6 Tbsp. sugar, 2 Tbsp. oil, 1 scant tsp. salt

You just mix all the ingredients together in no particular order and whisk it so there are no lumps.

You can put your hubby to work on that...and if he's stilling willing to help,

have him grate some cheese after that:

Take slices of deli or leftover ham, and cut into squares.

Slice a couple apples and set out the grated cheese, ham, and apples out on the counter, ready to go.

Next, heat a skillet to medium-high and melt a little bit of butter in it, sliding the butter around to coat the bottom. Then pour a scoop of the pancake mixture into the bottom, almost like a crepe, although you don't want it that thin. I use a little less than 1 cup of batter for my pan.

Now you put all the toppings you want on it, in this case we're using ham and apples.

Wait until the batter starts to set and the edges start to lift up from the pan, showing that it's cooked. Slide your spatula underneath the pancake, and flip the whole thing over! This might take a bit of practice but it is not as hard as it looks. And don't worry if it folds over, just straighten it out flat and it will be fine.

The top should be golden brown like this:

Just sprinkle a handful of cheese on top...

...and place a lid on the pan to help the cheese melt evenly.

Derek kept peeking...he was impatient! When the cheese has melted, the underside should be cooked by then and you just slide it off onto a plate.

This is the syrup we used...it's not quite exactly the same thing that my mom buys at a Dutch store in Canada, but this was at a nearby Amish store and it is very similar. I always pour some into a pitcher and heat it up for a few seconds in the microwave so it's not quite so thick to pour. If you only have maple syrup, just use that!

After that, just dig in and enjoy your Dutch pannekoeken! The only downside to this recipe is you can only make one at a time, and if you have a bunch of hungry people they will have to wait for their turn. But this is a really very simple recipe with ingredients that I almost always have on hand. It's fast and filling for a weeknight--one of those dishes that are good for breakfast, lunch or dinner!