Swedish Pancakes with Lingonberry Butter

I can remember, a couple of decades back, the first time that I ate Swedish Pancakes.  It was at the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) in Lake Tahoe, California.   I remember how much I loved the tartness of the lingonberries, mixed with the whipped butter.  There is an IHOP in my hometown, but it's one that I avoid.  Suffice it to say that my few experiences at that location had more unpleasant memories of sticky seats, poor service and my germophobia kicked in to high gear. 

Last November, I discovered a restaurant across from the hotel where I stayed in San Francisco.  According to the reviews, their signature dish is their Swedish Pancakes.  My blogger friend, Monica, and I eagerly ordered a plate of the pancakes.  I was surprised to see them arrive like dollar pancakes-- only flatter.  They were good, but they just didn't pack that "wow" factor that I experienced in Lake Tahoe.  I've done a bit of internet research, to find out which version of Swedish pancakes are most authentic, and I'm still not sure. I've learned that a Swedish Plett pan is used to make the round versions, which I don't own and I don't plan to invest in one (my gadget shelve are overflowing, as it is).

The October 2010 issue of Cook's Country Magazine had a recipe for Swedish Pancakes, that resembled the IHOP version.  My mouth watered, at the mere memory of the crepe version of these pancakes.  I wanted to make them that very day, except I didn't have three of the key ingredients-- club soda, Wondra instant flour and lingonberry jam. After bookmarking the recipe, a few months passed before I spotted lingonberry jam at my local Cost Plus World Market.

 I was surprised that neither my husband nor son had tasted lingonberries jam before.  They remind me, a bit of cranberry relish.  The berries are a beautiful red color, and the jam is a perfect balance of tart and sweet.  The batter for the pancakes was actually quite simple to do:

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Why use instant flour? According to Cook's Country, "To avoid a lengthy resting period, we used instant flour in the batter, which dissolves faster than regular flour and requires less whisking."  The reason for using club soda, "unlike American pancakes, Swedish pancakes contain no baking powder or baking soda. To get a little lift without breaking tradition, we added some club soda to the batter."

This recipes requires nine tablespoons of butter. Yes, nine. Four of the tablespoons butter are melted and cooled, and added to the batter. The remaining butter is used to brush the pan.  I decided to do a quick clarifying of the butter for the pan, but skimming off the milk solids (clarified butter doesn't burn as easily). Other ingredients includes eggs, and half and half. (Scroll to the end of this post for a printable recipe.)

I used two pans to make the crepes all at once.  Cook's Country uses a non-stick 9" pan. I also used a French crepe pan-- I wanted to compare which pan worked best. I had my "work station" close to the stove and the oven preheated on WARM.

The art of making crepes takes a bit of practice.  It's important to have the pan just hot enough that the butter sizzles when you brush it in the pan.

Using a 1/3 cup measurer, add the batter to the center of the pan and then tilt it so the batter spreads evenly. I use a silicone spatula to loosen the edges. Once the crepe has browned on the bottom, grab it and flip it over.
NOTE: This batter is so delicate, that it was more of a challenge to work with.  I couldn't flip these by tossing the pan.

On the left is my De Buyer Crepe Pan, and the non-stick is on the right.  Both pans worked well, though the crepe pan browned more in the middle.

I didn't bother covering the pancakes with foil, and they stayed quite warm in the oven.

On a whim, I decided to take a stick of softened butter and then I added about 4 Tablespoons of jam...

It was time to serve these delicate pancakes, but I wanted to take the first taste...

Photographing these proved to be a challenge-- I didn't want to eat cold pancakes, and I was really hungry! I had to work fast, so the photos are up to my personal standards of plating and lighting. 

The lingonberry butter has melted...

I eagerly take my first bite...

TASTING NOTE:   The crepe was delicate, almost velvety in my mouth.  I had notes of custard, butter, tart and sweet red berries.  Fond memories of Lake Tahoe came flooding back, with the first swallow.  Cook's Country did it!  There are moments when worries about fat grams need to be set aside.  This is one of them.  I fully admit that I ate six of these, and I enjoyed every single bite.  Both my husband and son really enjoyed these.  The club soda really does the trick, giving these pancakes a "lift".  Will I make these again?  You bet!  MAKE AHEAD Swedish pancakes can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Layer cooled pancakes between parchment paper, wrap in plastic, and transfer to zipper-lock bag. To serve, microwave stack of 3 pancakes on 50 percent power until heated through, 10 to 20 seconds. 

Now that I have leftover lingonberry jam, I'm on the search of a good Swedish Meatball recipe.  Lingonberry jam is a unexpected and delightful condiment to this comfort food.  Swedish meatballs in June?  Yes, if you live on my part of the Central Coast of California, you are experiencing overcast skies, cooler temps and even unexpected rain.  Me thinks my grilling season is going to be delayed until at least July!

I'm linking this to "Finding Joy in My Kitchen's" Best recipes of 2011, because to me this really is one of them!