Pancakes à la Gundel
Thin lemon-scented pancakes are folded (or rolled, if you wish) around a filling of walnuts, raisins, and orange zest, then sauced with semi-sweet chocolate. Chef Kalla notes that he once made this dish with chestnuts instead of walnuts, and it was delightful if not exactly traditional. While most chefs serve this dish flaming, Kalla does not, staying true to the original.
Ingredients
- Pancakes
- Eggs - 2
- Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
- All-Purpose Flour - 1-3/4 cups
- Milk - 1-1/4 cups
- Lemon - 1
- Unsalted butter or vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons
- Walnut Filling
- Light Cream - 1/3 cup
- Sugar - 1/2 cup
- Rum - 2 tablespoons
- Walnuts - 8 ounces, ground
- Raisins - 1/4 cup, chopped
- Orange Zest - 1 teaspoon
- Chocolate-Rum Sauce
- Semi-sweet chocolate - 4 ounces, chopped
- Milk - 1 cup
- Egg Yolks - 3
- Sugar - 2 tablespoons
- Cocoa Powder - 2 tablespoons
- Melted Butter - 1 tablespoon
- Light Rum - 2 tablespoons l
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons
Instructions
To make the pancakes: In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Stir in the salt. Add half of the flour and stir to blend. Add the milk and remaining flour and stir. Stir in the juice and zest of the lemon. Cover the batter with plastic wrap and let stand for 15 minutes.
Melt a little of the butter or put a little oil in a large skillet. Pour one-fourth cup of the batter into the pan and tilt the pan so that it coats the bottom (thin the batter with a little milk if necessary). Cook until bubbles form and begin to break. With a spatula, turn and cook on the second side until golden. Repeat with remaining pancakes; do not stack the cooked pancakes until they have cooled.
To make the filling: Bring the cream to a simmer in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar, rum, walnuts, raisins, and zest. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 minute, until the mixture thickens lightly.
To make the sauce: Bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from stove and add the chopped chocolate. Let the mixture sit for 30 seconds, then stir with a whisk until blended. Whip in the egg yolks with a whisk. When blended, whisk in the sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and rum. Stir until smooth. The sauce may be thinned with milk if you prefer a thinner consistency.
To serve: Lay the pancakes flat on a work surface. Put a heaping teaspoon of filling in the center of each pancake. Fold the pancake in half, then in half again, into quarters (the pancakes may also be rolled). Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saute pan and saute the pancakes until warmed and lightly browned, turning once. Arrange overlapping in a large serving dish. For individual service, place two on each dessert plate. Pour chocolate sauce over the pancakes at the center, leaving the ends showing.
