Sometimes a Box is Best
The only thing I ever remember my Opa cooking is pannenkoeken. I would visit my grandparents in their small flat in the Hague and my Opa would serve giant pancakes 
for dinner. As a kid, not only was it a thrill to get breakfast for dinner, but these pancakes were the size of dinner plates. They are not like our American brick-in-stomach pancakes. These pancakes are thinner and chewier - more like a giant thick crepe.
This mix is in our grocery stores in the pancake section and is the closest thing I have had to the pancakes my Opa used to make. The vintage looking box says "Swedish" - guess they didn't know he was Dutch.
I like to serve them with powdered sugar and lemon. The old standby is still a good choice for you traditionalists who need syrup. Although you will never find it on a pancake of mine, you could go the jam route. Heck, you could even walk on the wild side and go savory - they are that versatile.
12 comments:
I am not a big pancake fan except for my mum's which taste more like a hot milk cake. She never had maple syrup in the house when we were growing up, just corn syrup which I detested. So, I used to bit a light spreading of jam. I don't anymore, though. A light driaale of maple syrup is good for me.
Thanks for the memory!
Linda
Oh boy...I forgot to check my post comment for typos...Yikes!!
You made my day! I miss my Opa very much - he passed away 3 years ago at 90 years old after a struggle with Ahlzeimer's Disease. My mom and I took care of him. He was Dutch - straight from Holland and loved these pancakes and talked about eating them as a boy in Holland. Thank you for reminding me of him today!
I came across your blog yesterday and I love it. Pretty sure we'd be fast friends if I was in MI!:-) I love to decorate cakes (working on one for my daughter right now!) and I've wanted to try my hand at fondant. Your blog makes me think I might be able to do it...is it hard?
Thanks for your blog - so precious.
Carla in PA
Carla,
You will definitely have to try this mix! It really is tasty and, even better, it is easy. The flipping can be a bit challenging if you make them too big...
About the fondant, for me it has been a trial and error type of thing. I have been using a marshmallow fondant recipe and it has worked fairly well. Actually, it is all that I have tried. You do need to have the right consistency and moisture when making it, which I learned the hard way. It does show watermarks and fingerprints which drives me crazy, but most things can be smoothed and then dusted with corn starch. It also shows all the bumps and lumps underneath, so you want your sticky layer (butter cream, jam, etc.) to be nice and smooth. Keep in mind fondant can’t be refrigerated, it shrinks and develops condensation, and it does not hold up in heat, it melts. Because it can't be refrigerated, you are somewhat limited to the fillings you can choose. Anyway, this is probably way more information than you wanted.
I do really enjoy making the fondant cakes. They take forever for me to make, but I am also trying to do 5 other things and I make everything from scratch. If you are used to making cakes, you should really give it a try. The worst that can happen is you have to peel off the fondant and throw it away (just make sure you have some extra butter cream around). I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but feel free to ask me any questions and be sure to send me some pictures.
Heather
Carla,
I got so excited about fondant and pancakes I forgot to say thanks for the sweet comments about my blog. I really do appreciate them.
Heather
Heather , you are just so sweet!! I am happy you found my sister's blog. She got me started on the whole blogging thing and now I'm hooked. She is a wonderful sister and I always get excited when she writes a new post.
Have a great weekend!!
Linda
Heather,
I added you to my blogroll list today! I hope my friends come by and check out your new creations!
Leeann
niccofive.blogspot.com
I'm really intrigued by these as I am swedish. I bet my mom would love them. I will be on the lookout for them.
We Dutch sure love our pancakes :))
Every Saturday we have them for dinner here... bacon, cheese and syrup... yum!
I am a bit late so don't know if you check back for recent comments on old posts but here goes.
My mother is from Holland and I too remember many "dinners" of Dutch pancakes. We ate them with sugar or icing sugar or jam or corn syrup. We would put the topping on in a line, then roll up the pancake and use our fork and knife to cut. (I learned to use a fork and knife together at all times - not like most North Americans who use the knife to cut, put it down, switch the fork from left to right hand and spear the food.)
Lucky for me, my mother taught me to make the pancakes from scratch and I have passed that on to my two daughters. My granddaughter now enjoys Dutch pancakes for "dinner" and when she is old enough, I will teach her to make them too.
Thanks for the remembrance. I will have to document this on a scrapbook page.
I know the knife and fork holding well. My father taught me to do the same. If the recipe is not a family secret, I would love a copy. My Opa passed and my Oma is not much of a cook these days - plus she still lives in the tiny flat in Holland. Thanks for visiting.
Heather
Darling Heather,
I love seeing what magical creations you're cooking up. I especially liked your little boys climbing the walls! You have me running up stairs now. It has to be good for me, right? Keep up the great work. You are an inspiration.
With love from your old friend,
Mary
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