A palascinta is a paper-thin sweet pancake not unlike a French crepe. Poles call them nalesniki, Serbs call them palachinke, and just about every Eastern European country has its version.
This dessert is made with a sweet palascinta (there's also a savory variety known as palacsinta teszta hushoz). This pretty sweet can be filled with whatever you like. Fruit preserves, raisins and sweetened ground nuts are traditional, but flavored whipped cream cheese would be perfect. Let your imagination be your guide. Here is my version.
Makes 8 servings
View this Step By Step.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup finely chopped almonds
- 3/4 cup plus 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 16 sweet "palascinta" (see below)
- 1 (12-ounce) can apricot fruit filling or preserves
- 1 (12-ounce) can cherry fruit filling or preserves
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, whipped
- 1 ounce semisweet chocolate, grated
- Fruit of choice for garnish
Preparation:
- Whip together cream cheese, almonds and 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar and set aside.
- Prepare 1 recipe sweet palascinta. As pancakes come off the skillet, start assembling the dessert on a heated platter.
- Place 1 pancake on a parchment-lined pan and spread to the edges with a generous layer of cream cheese mixture. Transfer to the serving platter.
- Place a second, freshly made pancake on the parchment-lined pan and spread to the edges with a generous layer of apricot filling and stack on top of cream cheese-almond pancake.
- Repeat with another pancake and cherry filling. Continue in this manner with rest of ingredients, alternating layers, and ending with a plain pancake on the top. Dust with remaining 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar.
- Cut into 8 wedges and serve with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream, chocolate shavings and fruit garnish of choice.
