phannenkuchen with fig compote

Growing up with a German mom, I always ate these crepe-like pancakes called phannenkuchen (German for pancake). They are served with apple sauce and rolled up with some cinnamon sugar. This was one of my favorite breakfasts, and still is to this day. Its super easy to make, but you need to get the consistency right. It should be very runny, so you can coat the pan with a thin layer. This can be a dessert also if you like.

On another note, one of my friends had a fig tree with tons of ripe figs. Every year I raid her tree and make a quick compote. I don’t make a jam or preserve because I think it involves too much time and sugar to preserve things in a jar. This is the easy and quick alternative. It only lasts about a week in the fridge, but you get to cook the fruit minimally and add just a touch of sugar to sweeten it up. Jarring, on the other hand, requires you to add a ton of sugar and boil the crap out of it to ensure safe jarring. A compote can be done with any fruit and you basically just cut up the fruit, add it to a pot with some water and sugar, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Phannenkuchen Recipe:

• 1 cup flour
• 1.5 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• pinch of salt

1. Simply blend together all the ingredients. It should be thin and watery, not thick.
2. Oil pan with walnut oil or coconut oil on medium low heat.
3. Cover half the surface area of the pan and quickly tilt pan back and forth to allow the mixture to cover the rest of the pan. This process makes it thinner.
4. Flip after 5 minutes or so (when it starts to brown). Keep the pan on med-low or low to ensure you don’t burn.

Fig Compote:

• 1 pound figs (or any fruit)
• 1/8th cup raw sugar (or less)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Cut fruit into chunks.
2. Add to pot along with water, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon
3. Bring to boil then turn to low. Simmer for 20 minutes.