Yesterday my kids woke up and made a special request for palacsinta with blueberries for breakfast. If you’ve never had palacsinta, it is similar to a French crêpe, but most Hungarians will tell you that the palacsinta is far superior. There are as many recipes for palacsinta as there are Hungarian cooks (and even more fillings that you can put inside). The secret ingredient that makes palacsinta special is soda water. My favorite soda water for palacsinta is Gerolsteiner Mineral Water but any soda water will work (I also like to use soda water made from a Sodastream). The soda water creates tiny bubbles in the batter which, in turn, makes tiny holes in the finished crêpe. These are light and airy and so simple. I have used countless recipes when making palacsinta. It is fun and easy to experiment with the ingredients in order to come up with something unique. Most of the time I don’t even use measuring cups, I just throw things together until it looks right. The key is that you want your batter to be as thin as possible.

Simple Palacsinta

This is enough for about 12 Palacsinta

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup milk (any kind)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup gluten-free featherlight flower
• ½ cup soda water
• Butter or cooking spray, for cooking the palacsinta

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together butter and milk.
2. Beat in eggs, sugar and salt.
3. Slowly incorporate the gluten-free flour.
4. At the last minute, whisk in soda water.
5. Heat an 8-10 inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat.
6. Once pan is hot melt a small amount of butter in the pan (or spray with cooking spray)
7. Pour a small amount of batter into the pan and swirl the pan around until the batter covers the entire bottom of the pan.Once the batter begins to bubble and the edges look like they have set, flip the palacsinta over and cook for another 15 seconds until done.
8. Remove onto a plate and wipe out the frying pan with a towel.
9. Repeat until all of the batter is used.
10. Serve alone or with desired fillings.

Blueberry Compote

Ingredients:

• 4 Cups frozen blueberries (fresh would also work)
• 6 Tablespoons agave syrup
• ¼ cup water
• Juice and zest of 1 small Meyer lemon

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes, or until desired consistency is reached.