Swedish Pancakes, Baby Dutch Boy, and Blintz Pancakes
Mother’s Day
Lisa Grentz, MS, RDN, CD/LDN, FAND
There is so much to celebrate this spring – including Mother’s Day. This month, we want to honor and thank all of our GIE moms. We wouldn’t be able to share our passion and love for tube weaning if it weren’t for all of you opening your hearts and your homes to all of us.
We have asked our wonderful GIE team to reflect on their own Mother’s Day memories and share treasured recipes and stories with all of you. Our first feature this month is from Kirstin Nelson, Registered Dietitian.
Kirstin writes:
When I think of my mom and food, I think of BREAKFAST. As a dietitian, food ranks high on my love languages, and Mom probably gets a lot of credit for that! When I was a kid, she would often make a huge batch of pancakes early in the week. She would portion them into baggies and freeze them, and my brother and I quickly became adept at heating them up for ourselves in the microwave or the toaster for breakfast on school days. I loved spreading peanut butter on them (still do, if I'm being honest!), and this is probably the root of my lifelong obsession with peanut butter.
For my mom, breakfast was not just limited to mornings. Most Sunday evenings growing up, we would have breakfast for dinner. Most often it was Swedish pancakes, which are a thin eggy pancake very similar to crepes. And when I met my husband, he called them "Norwegian pancakes", so it's anybody's guess where they started first! Some Sundays it was smoothies and popcorn. And some weeks, Mom made a Baby Dutch Boy, a big beautiful puffed pancake that is also known as a Dutch Baby pancake or a German pancake.
Today, my boys (7 and 4) LOVE the Baby Dutch Boy. They call it "Puffy Pancake" and they will chant "Puffy pancake, puffy pancake!" when they learn it's on the menu. Every time I bake one, I feel inclined to take a picture (it's such a showoff!) and to send the recipe to someone...anyone! It's also a great food for weaning--soft and easy to eat, calorie dense, and gives young eaters exposure to eggs and cooked milk, if we're needing to work our way up the milk ladder.
Along with this deep love for breakfast foods, my mother also gave me the gift of indecision, so I give you the gift of my THREE favorite breakfast (or breakfast-for-dinner) dishes.
Happy Mother’s Day, Mamas!
SWEDISH PANCAKES - The Labor of Love
Serves 4-6
6 eggs
2 ½ cups milk
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
Mix all ingredients together. Batter will be lumpy.
Grease medium flat skillet and heat over medium heat. Pour a small amount (about 2-4 tablespoons) of batter onto the skillet while swirling the pan to spread into a thin layer that reaches the edges. (This is hard to put into words as I have watched it a thousand times and done it a thousand more!)
Using a spatula, flip when bottom is gold brown and bubbles start to form (pancake will also start to look slightly cooked on top and not runny).
Cook 1-2 more minutes on the other side.
Preheat oven to 170-200 degrees. Place pancakes on an oven safe plate and place them in the oven to keep warm until ready to serve. I typically cook on two pans at once to speed the process!
Serve with butter and syrup, fruit and yogurt, sausage and cheese – whatever you like! They pair well with sweet or savory toppings/fillings.
Note: Recipe will also work with 50% whole-wheat flour
BABY DUTCH BOY - The Showoff
Serves 2-3: Pan Size 2-3 Qt Pan, 8"x8" or 11"x7"
¼ cup butter
3 eggs
¾ cup milk
¾ cup flour
Serves 3-4: Pan size 3-4 Qt Pan, 9"x13"
1/3 cup butter
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
Serves 4-6: Pan Size, 4-4.5 Qt Pan 9"x13" or larger
½ cup butter
5 eggs
1 ¼ cups milk
1 ¼ cups flour
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Select the proportions to fit your pan. A glass pan or casserole dish works best.
About halfway through preheat, put butter in pan and set pan in oven. Allow butter to melt while you prepare the batter. Watch so that butter doesn't burn, but a little browning is okay.
While the butter melts, whip the eggs in a blender on high speed for 1 minute. With the motor running, gradually pour in milk, then slowly add flour. Continue whirling for 30 seconds.
When oven is ready and butter is completely melted, remove pan from oven and pour batter into hot melted butter. Return to oven and bake until puffy and edges are well-browned, about 20-25 minutes.
Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Pancake will be puffy when it comes out of the oven and will fall after a few minutes. This is normal.
Serve with butter and syrup or our family favorite – powdered sugar and lemon juice. Butter and jam are also good! I often have frozen blueberries on hand, and I like to microwave some in a bowl to warm them up. Then, I pour the blueberries and their juice on top of my pancake with lemon juice and powdered sugar. Yum!!
BLINTZ PANCAKES - "Cheesy Pancakes"
Serves 4-6 (about 16 pancakes)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
1 cup small-curd cottage cheese
4 eggs, beaten
Mix dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Fold only until flour is moistened – don’t overmix.
Cook on a greased griddle or skillet over medium heat. Using a spatula, flip pancakes when bottom is gold brown and bubbles start to form. Continue cooking for a couple minutes, until pancakes are golden brown. Serve with butter and syrup, jam, or fresh fruit and whipped cream!