One of our favorite breakfast recipes is a special Swedish crepe called Plattar. With Shrove Tuesday just around the corner, we thought it was the perfect time to share this special recipe.

I’ve always wondered why we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. After some quick research on the internet, I learned that since the 1500s, people have been making pancakes on “Shrove Tuesday” or “Fat Tuesday” as a way to use up all of the eggs, butter and fat in the home before the beginning of Lent, a time of fasting.

This recipe comes from Sr. Madeleine who is currently studying lace making in Brugge, Belgium. We asked her how this Swedish crepe came to be one of their family recipes, a recipe she makes for her two daughter’s birthdays every year. This is what she wrote me.

“Swedish Plattar is a recipe from a collection of Swedish recipes celebrating the seasons of the year. The author of the recipe remembers her mother preparing these recipes to remind her family of the goodness of God. Personally, when I was young I had not learned to cook or bake; I too, like the writer, wanted to both cook for my young family and to emphasize the love of God and His goodness. Swedish plattar was by far the biggest hit! I made it regularly every Saturday morning for my family, standing patiently beside the electric frying pan (popular in those days) until many Swedish Plattar were made and the the hungry mouths of all were filled. Swedish Plattar takes time to fry, so the making is a labor of love (due to the sheer volume of the batter, and the number you need to fill someone up!). The smudges and dribbles on the page make the recipe easy to find in the cookbook, and also attest to its perennial popularity. My daughters and I are all three nuns now and they as well as I continue the practice of making Swedish plattar for celebrations of God and His goodness.”

You can read more about Sr. Madeleine’s experiences in her blog Belgian Prayers and Lace.

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Swedish Plattar Pancakes - Shrove Tuesday

SERVINGS 4-6people CHANGE SERVING SIZE people

COOK TIME 1hour

PREP TIME 5 minutes (plus 2 hours standing time)

READY IN 1hour

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups half and half
• 1 cup flour all purpose
• 6 Tbsp butter melted
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Also needed
• butter extra for griddle
• Ligonberry or Raspberry jam to serve
• powdered sugar if desired

Instructions

1. Beat the eggs add the milk, then the flour and whisk well. Add the melted butter, sugar, salt and vanilla and whisk.
2. Let the batter stand for two hours or overnight
3. Preheat a griddle to 325 degrees and brush with butter
4. When the skillet is hot, drop in two - three tablespoons of batter for each pancake – about 4” in diameter
5. Cook until golden on one side, and then flip to the other side (about 2 min. on each side)
6. When golden, fold into thirds and remove to a plate and continue with the rest of the batter.
7. The pancakes can be kept warm in a low oven. One recipe makes 30 - 4” pancakes. Serve with the jam and a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Fresh fruit on the side makes a lovely presentation.