Poffertjes
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Poffertjes... the name alone invokes visions of carnivals, festivities and palatal pleasure. Even
saying it brings joy to the vocal cords. You can't say poffertjes (POH-fur-tjes) without a smile on
your face, try it!
Poffertjes are an integral part of national holidays, summer festivals and fun celebrations. During
the Christmas and New Year season, you will and poffertjes vendors on every Christmas market.
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1 cup warm milk
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 cups all-purpose 􀃖our
2 eggs
Pinch salt
Powdered sugar
Butter
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Sprinkle the yeast on top of the warm milk and set aside to proof. When ready, mix the flour with the eggs and slowly add
the milk, beating well and making sure there are no lumps. Add in the pinch of salt. Cover and set aside to rise, about 45
minutes to an hour.
Heat the pan and lightly butter each dimple. Pour a small amount of batter into each dimple. I prefer to pour the batter in
a squeeze bottle of which I have removed part of the tip: it allows me to control the amount of batter for each dimple.
When the sides dry up a bit and bubbles appear on the surface, use the tin of a fork to flip the poffertjes over. This takes a bit of practice, but not to worry, even the spoils will taste good!
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Serve hot, sprinkle with powdered sugar and a piece of butter.
Hangop
Hangop literally means "to hang up". It's an old fashioned Dutch dairy dessert made with buttermilk or yoghurt that's left to drain, hanging, in a towel over a colander; hence the name. The whey is drained, and the remainder of the milk is now a thick, creamy dessert, somewhere between thick cream and creamy yogurt. Sweeten it with a tablespoon or two of sugar and honey, or just leave it tangy as it is, however you like it, it's fine. Serve with fruit, such as stewed strawberry-rhubarb, or just plain fresh fruit.
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1 quart (32oz) of buttermilk
1 cup of plain yoghurt with active cultures
Warm the buttermilk in a pan on the stove up to 110F. Stir in the plain yoghurt, bring it back up to 110F, then cover with a cloth and set it aside, overnight. The next morning the buttermilk should have thickened considerably. Moisten a tea towel, drape it over a colander and place the colander in a bowl. Carefully pour the buttermilk into the towel. The whey, a light yellow-greenish watery liquid, will almost immediately drip through the towel. Now you can either tie the four ends of the towel together and suspend it from, for example, a kitchen cabinet door knob, or just leave it in the colander. The whey will continue to drain. After four hours, carefully lift the towel with its contents and slightly squeeze out the rest of the whey. Open the towel and move the hangup into a clean bowl with a spoon. You should have a very thick creamy yogurt! Stir in your sweetener of choice and see if it's creamy enough. If too much whey drained, you can stir in some whipping cream or some milk, one tablespoon at a time. Enjoy!!