Palacsinta

Americans tend to think of pancakes as relatively thick rounds. The worldwide range goes from the thin, light French crepes, Hungarian palacsinta and Austrian palatschinke to a thick, hearty cake made from bran.

Even though she’s half Hungarian, Mom calls these thin pancakes crepes instead of “palacsinta.” And perhaps they are crepes; most palacsinta are prepared with carbonated water to lighten the batter. Mom omits this trick, instead relying on an overnight rest to make a silkier batter. Like magic, all the lumps are gone in the morning.

CC joined Ingrid in the kitchen and started pulling out bowls. She whisked batter together. “I’m making ham palacsintas.” / “Palacsintas? I thought we were having crepes.” / “They are Hungarian crepes. These are similar to ones I had in Budapest when I reported on the international steel conference. The chef gave me a tour of his kitchen and shared his recipe with me.”