Today's Case:
Magic Pan Sweet Cheese Crepes
Re: Magic Pan Recipes
From: Francine
Date: 1/4/2024, 2:36 PM
To: Phaedrus
On 12/31/2023 7:08 PM, Francine wrote:
I use to live in the Bay Area and frequented Magic Pan a lot ....
Moved to Tampa and miss the food.
Where can I get the recipes especially for Sweet Cheese Palacsintas
Thank you for your help ...,
Francine
Hello Francine,
I have a dedicated Magic Pan page with links to all of the Magic Pan recipes that I have found here: Magic Pan Recipes
I do not have a Magic Pan recipe for "Sweet Cheese Palacsintas" or one called "Sweet Cheese Crepes." I looked at a dozen or so photos of Magic Pan menus that I found on the web, but not one of them had a listing for "Sweet Cheese Palacsintas." Perhaps you mean the crepes that were called "Whipped Cheese Royal" on the menu. They are described as: "Crepes filled with our delicate light blend of sweet cheese. Topped with powdered sugar." See the menu here:
Pinterest
If that's not what you mean, then I am at a loss. I have found no trace of any other sweet cheese Magic Pan dish.
If that is what you mean, then I must disappoint. Although there are a lot of Magic Pan crepes recipes that I have found, the Whipped Cheese Royal is not one of them.
The founders of the original "Magic Pan" restaurant, Paulette Fono and Maria Stacho, published a crepes cookbook before they founded the restaurant. It's called "The Crepe Cookbook: by Paulette Fono and Maria Stacho." That "Whipped Cheese Royal" recipe may be in it. You can find copies of it for sale at various used book sites on the web. I don't have a copy. They are quite popular and a bit pricey. One of my readers has a copy, and I will ask her to check it for the recipe.
Phaed
Thank you so much for your response ..
I will check it out and it sounds like it might just be the one.
Thank you again and have a Great New Year in 2024 👍🥳
Francine
Francine,
I wrote to Janet, who is one of my helpful readers and who has a copy of "The Crepe Cookbook: by Paulette Fono and Maria Stachoa" (Magic Pan" founders) and asked her if that recipe or any other sweet cheese crepes recipe was in the cookbook. This is what she found:
From: Janet
Date: 1/1/2024, 9:04 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Hi Phaed,
This recipe was in the book, looks like it may be it or at least very similar.
The name is different but it is probably due to the fact that Palacsinta is
the Hungarian term for crepe. Paulette Fono, creator of the Magic Pan
was Hungarian, born in Budapest.
Janet
Transcribed recipe(by Phaed) from a scan from: "The Crepe Cookbook: by
Paulette Fono and Maria Stachoa" (Magic Pan" founders).
Cottage Cheese Sweet Souffle Crepes
12 to 14 cooked Breton Crepes,* 7 to 8 inches in diameter
1 cup dry cottage cheese
3 egg yolks
Few drops vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablesp. packaged bread crumbs
3 egg whites
1/8 teasp. salt
The Crepe Cookbook:
Have the crepes ready. Force the cottage cheese through a sieve or
food mill. Beat egg yolks, vanilla extract, and sugar in mixing bowl
until pale and thick. Add cottage cheese. Blend well. One tablespoon
at a time, add bread crumbs and mix well. Beat egg whites and salt
until stiff and shiny. Gently fold into cheese mixture. Spread a portion
of this mixture on each crepe. Fold crepes in half, then in half again.
Place folded crepes in buttered oven-to-table baking dish. Preheat
oven to 350°F. Bake 10 to 15 minutes. Serve at once. Serves 6.
Francine,
I noticed that this recipe called for "Breton Crepes" rather than the usual ones, so I wrote Janet again:
I wonder about the "Breton Crepes*" item in the recipe. Is there a *note about them? I know that "Breton" crepes are made with buckwheat flour rather than regular flour. Is there a Breton crepes recipe in the book?
Thank you for your help!
Phaed
From: Janet
Date: 1/2/2024, 10:35 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Hi,
I didn’t realize the recipe used a different type of crepe.
I tend to think that the regular crepes were used in the restaurant recipe.
I used to go there all the time with my mother when I was young and
never saw a buckwheat crepe in any of the dishes.
The reader asked for palacsintas so I think the regular magic pan crepe
recipe would be the best to use.
I found your site 20 years ago looking for Magic Pan recipes!
Thanks
Janet
Transcribed Breton Crepes recipe(by Phaed) from a scan from: "The Crepe Cookbook: by Paulette Fono and Maria Stachoa" (Magic Pan" founders) - If you would prefer the regular "sweet crepes batter," see here: Basic Crepes Recipes.
Breton Crepes
The Batter:
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1-1/4 cups sour milk or fresh light cream
3 tablespoons brandy or cognac
1/2 cup oil for frying crepes
How to make a Breton Crepe
Combine flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Beat eggs
one by one into flour. Gradually add sour milk or cream,
beating constantly to avoid lumps. Beat in cognac and a
few tablespoons of water if necessary. Make a fairly smooth
and thin batter, about the consistency of heavy cream. Heat
9-inch heavy-bottom frying pan until hot. Brush entire bottom
surface with oil. Pour a very small amount, about 3 tablespoons,
of batter in the middle of the pan. Tip in all directions to cover
the entire bottom surface of the pan with butter. Cook over
medium heat about 1 minute, until top of the crepe is dry and
the bottom side turns lightly brown. Turn crepe with a spatula
and cook on the second side for 30 seconds. Tip out crepe onto
a platter. Brush the entire bottom surface of the pan again, and
repeat this entire operation step by step until all of the batter is
used up. Makes 12 to 14 crepes, 7 to 8 inches in diameter.
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Francine, remember that the cookbook was written before they founded "The Magic Pan Restaurant", and Paulette Fono and Maria Stachoa may have changed some of the recipes after the restaurant was in operation and also may have developed new recipes, so what's in the cookbook may not always match what was served in the restaurant.
While I was looking for all of these things, I found another sweet cheese crepes recipe that has no known connection with The Magic Pan, but it sounds tasty. You might even want to try it first. See below.
Phaed
https://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/1458/Sweet-Cheese-Filled-Crepes98107.shtml
Sweet Cheese-Filled Crepes
ingredients
Crepes
4 extra-large eggs
1 cup water
2 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for browning crepes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Filling
11 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup large-curd cottage cheese (pot or dry style is easiest to work with)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
directions
Use a crepe pan about 6 inches across the bottom. Use an electric mixer
or whisk to beat the eggs until thoroughly beaten. Add water, butter and
oil and beat well. Add flour, sugar and salt and mix just until white disappears.
Let the mixture stand 1 hour or refrigerate up to 2 days.
Heat a crepe pan over medium-high heat and brush it with butter, coating it well.
For each crepe, pour about 3 tablespoons of the batter into the pan
and immediately tilt the pan so the batter completely but lightly coats
the bottom. Cook 30 seconds, or until the bottom of the crepe is golden
brown (just lift the edge to see).
Loosen the crepe gently with a spatula, then turn it over with the
spatula or your fingers. Cook the crepe on the underside for a few
seconds to set it, but don't worry about getting it a nice even brown.
Turn the crepes onto a plate.
Cover and refrigerate the crepes up to 2 days. Crepes also freeze well.
Double-wrap the crepes (as a stack, not individually) and they will freeze
with good quality for a month or a little more.
To make the filling: Beat cream cheese (or whir in a processor) until smooth.
Add remaining ingredients and beat until well mixed. (A mixer will take out
the lumps in the cottage cheese; a blender will too, but the mixture must
be blended in several batches.)
Spoon a scant 2 tablespoons of filling onto the pale side of the crepe,
in the center. Fold the left and right side in about an inch, then bring
the bottom flap up to cover the filling, and bring the top flap over to
make a nice little package, like an envelope.
TIP: If you like, fry the closed crepes in a shallow film of melted butter
to brown them on both sides. Frying them warms the cheese and makes
the crepes even more luscious.
To do this, melt a tablespoon or so of butter in a large skillet over
medium heat. Place the filled crepes in the skillet, folded side down.
Fry the packages in butter until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes total.
Serve with hot applesauce, sour cream, fresh strawberry or
blueberry sauce, fruit jams or preserves; sprinkle with powdered sugar or
drizzle with chocolate sauce.
