PALACSINTA BY GUNDEL

Palacsinta (Palatschinken in German) is the Hungarian version of pancakes. The style is like the French crêpe. Here is a recipe (#109) from Gundel's Hungarian Cookbook (pages 76 - 77):

Crepes Gundel Style

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 1 1/2 dl (2/3 cup) rum [Editor's comment: How about adding a splash of Vana Tallinn?]
• 40 g (2 2/3 tbs) raisins
• 20 g (2 tbs) candied orange peel
• 180 g (1 1/2 cup) chopped walnuts
• 1 dl (1/2 cup) heavy cream
• 120 g (1/2 cup) sugar
• powdered cinnamon

12 crepes (recipe #108)

• 2 eggs
• 2 dl (3/4 cup) milk
• 240 g (1 1/2 cups) semolina flour
• 2 dl (3/4 cup) milk or soda water
• salt or sugar (optional)
• 100 g (1/2 cup) lard

1. Mix the cold milk and eggs with a wire whisk, slowly adding the flour and keep on mixing.
2. Add more milk or soda water when the dough is very smooth.
3. Melt the lard in a saucepan.
4. Heat a crepe pan.
5. Add 1/2 tsp of lard to crepe pan and swirl to coat the pan.
6. Pour the rest of the lard back into the saucepan.
7. Pour about 1 dl (1/2 cup) dough into the hot crepe pan, fry over over high heat, shaking and swirling the pan. The dough should separate from the pan.
8. Fry for 5 seconds longer, then flip the crepe and fry the other side.

50 g (1/4 cup) butter (for browning)

For the chocolate syrup:

• 2 1/2 dl (1 1/2 cup) milk
• 30 g (2 tbs) vanilla sugar
• 100 g (1/2 cup) chocolate
• 1 1/2 dl (2/3 cup) heavy cream
• 3 egg yolks
• 80-100 g (6-7 tbs) sugar
• 50 g (1/2 cup) cocoa
• 15 g (2 tbs) flour
• 5 cl (4 tbs) milk

1. Soak the raisins and orange peels in rum for 24 hours [Editor's comment: Maybe you could speed up the time by splashing some Vana Tallinn to the raisins and orange peels?].
2. Grate the walnuts.
3. Bring the cream to boil. Add the sugar, nuts, a little cinnamon and drained raisins and orange peel. Cook into a paste. (You could add some milk to it.)
4. Let the mixture cool down a bit and add half of the rum.
5. Make the crepes as in the recipe (#108) mentioned above.
6. Place the filling in a line on each crepe and roll them up.

For the sauce:

1. Boil the milk with the vanilla.
2. Melt the chocolate in a dish.
3. Whip the cream.
4. Whisk the flour and cocoa, add the milk and whip it until it is smooth and foamy.
5. Mix in the melted chocolate, slowly whisk in the hot milk and heat to boiling point.
6. Remove from the heat and stir for some time until it has cooled down somewhat.
7. Carefully fold in the whipped cream and the remaining rum.
8. Brown the filled crepes in butter on both sides until they become crisp.
9. Place them on a flame-proof platter, pour the syrup over the crepes just before serving.

Read the following quote by Gundel on music and gastronomy.