Monday, August 23, 2010

Pannukakku, Finnish Pancakes




Pannukakku is the premier pancake of Finland. Visiting Houghton, Michigan for a Mich. Tech. Univ. reunion was a great excuse to sample the tastes of the Copper Country. The Suomi Bakery and Restaurant in Houghton has been serving Finnish food for 50 plus years. The crowds at the door every morning are a tribute to their popular cuisine. The formula of using 1/4 cup flour to 1/4 cup milk to 1 egg per serving is basic for Pannukakku but it can be varied with sugar and seasonings to taste. It is more like a custard than a pancake but try them yourself for a taste of the Old World.

Ingredients
1-1/2 cup flour (1/2 C whole wheat can be used)
1-1/2 cup milk
6 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter for the baking pan
heavy cream for whipping

Directions
In a bowl, whisk together first 5 ingredients until no lumps remain. Let stand 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Melt butter in a 9×13 pan by placing it in the preheating oven. (Remove pan when butter is melted to avoid scorching.) Brush entire pan with melted butter before pouring in the pancake batter. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until edges are puffed high and golden. Top with whipped cream and fresh fruit.

Serves 4 – 6

Note There are so many choices to put on top Pannukakku. Experiment with fresh lemons and powdered sugar; raspberries or blackberries or blueberries in syrup. The Raspberry Puree recipe in Tastes & Treasures page 25 would be wonderful. It is an historic recipe from The Cottage Place Restaurant in Flagstaff.