strawberry filled flapjacks

June-July, 2006 Woman Today

STRAWBERRY CREAM FILLED FLAPJACKS

One of the pleasures of this time of year (there are many!) is the abundance of fresh, juicy, locally-grown strawberries. We eat as many as we can just plain, out of hand. For breakfast, they go on top of cereal with milk or cream. For dessert they’re a favorite with cream and sugar.

Personally, it seems a crime to cook these beauties into jam, or to mash them, strain them, and make jelly before you’ve eaten your fill of them just fresh and unadulterated.

Crepes sounds like a kind of fancy term for these pancakes, which our kids call “flapjacks”, and that I enjoyed as a kid. I had totally forgotten about them until one summer, not long ago, when they “slept over” at a cousin’s place, and their mom, Ann Snyder, made flapjacks for breakfast. It was a big hit – and as Ann says, you can hardly keep up with them when you get started. One at a time off the griddle, they’re buttered and cinnamon-sugared and eaten in seconds.

For this dessert, I make the flapjacks about 8 inches in diameter, stack them, and allow them to cool. Then I mix up the strawberry filling and roll them up with the filling in the center. At this point they can be refrigerated a few hours before serving if need be. Of course, they can be eaten immediately, too!

STRAWBERRY CREAM FILLED FLAPJACKS

FOR THE FLAPJACKS

1 cup milk

3 whole eggs

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Nonstick Spray or Butter

STRAWBERRY FILLING

2 cups fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and sliced

1/4 cup granulated sugar

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup powdered sugar

FOR SERVING

Additional sweetened, sliced strawberries

Whipped Cream

In a large bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, flour, 1 tablespoon sugar and salt together until batter is smooth. Place an 8-inch omelet pan over medium high heat until a drop of water sizzles in the pan. Scoop about 1/4 cup of the batter and pour it into the pan. Tilt the pan around to coat the bottom of the pan evenly. Cook about 1 minute or until the top of the flapjack looks cooked. Run a rubber spatula around the edge of the pan, then turn the pancake over. Cook about a half minute or until the flapjack has flecks of golden brown on the second side. Remove from the pan and place on a plate. Repeat to make a dozen flapjacks, stacking them on the plate.

For the filling and topping, combine one cup of the berries with the 1/4 cup granulated sugar. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and well blended. Stir in the reserved berries.

Spread a spoonful of the filling onto each of the flapjacks. Roll up. Serve topped with chilled, sweetened sliced berries spooned over and a dollop of whipped cream.

Makes 6 servings, 2 filled flapjacks each