Alaska Ocean View
Bed and Breakfast Inn

Sitka, Alaska

Specialty Recipe

Thin German Pancakes
(an egg-based breakfast entree)

Alaska Ocean View B&B Website

Bill's mother, Marie, grew up in Germany. When she was 19 years old, she traveled to the United States alone to spend the summer visiting a favorite cousin who had moved to Iowa a few years earlier. The two cousins renewed their bond of friendship, and Marie promptly landed a job and decided to stay. At citizenship classes, she met and married an adventurous young man who, like herself, had also ventured to the U.S. from Germany at age 19 and decided to stay.

My husband, Bill (Wilhelm), and his five siblings grew up on their mother's wonderful pancakes, which she served traditionally every Sunday after church. Today at the age of 96 she is still preparing her popular pancakes in her large Iowa home on Sunday after church for her visiting great- and great-great-grandchildren. Likewise, our children and grandchildren are growing up on German pancakes here in Alaska. In keeping with tradition, we generally serve them Sunday mornings at the inn. However, they are so popular that we frequently serve them mid-week as well.

Ingredients

2 cups milk

2 cups flour

Pinch of salt

8 eggs

Combine ingredients and mix in blender. Refrigerate and let sit 1 hour if possible; overnight is best. (If you are in a hurry you can cook right away, but they are better if you wait.)

Heat crepe pan or skillet on medium-high heat. Coat bottom of pan with butter. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into pan. Pick up crepe pan and tilt to allow batter to thinly coat bottom. Do not walk away from pan while it is cooking -- these pancakes cook fast. Turn pancake and cook briefly until golden; serve on a warmed individual serving plate. Hand to guest and allow guests to dress in the fashion their taste buds desire. After placing the topping on pancake, roll it into a log or fold in half and then in half again..

We typically set out the following toppings: Sliced and sugared strawberries, strawberry glaze or berries cooked to sauce consistency, whipping cream, sour cream; butter, sugar, warm maple syrup, jams, jellies, and marmalade. I prefer mine savory with just a little butter. Bill prefers his with butter and raspberry jam. My grandchildren prefer them with maple syrup and whipping cream, but guests overwhelmingly prefer strawberries or berry sauce and whipped cream.

These delightful crepe-like pancakes are at their best when served directly from the pan to the individual's warmed plate. No worries, they cook up very fast.

• Alaska Ocean View on VirtualCities.com
• Alaska Ocean View B&B Website
• You found this recipe on 1st Traveler's Choice Internet Cookbook. (www.virtualcities.com)