Ingredients
Baking material:
- poffertjes plate (with 19 holes)
- for sale at cookery shops
- can be ordered via the internet
- a brush for greasing
Batter (makes approximately 60 pieces):
- 200 g plain flour
- 50 g buckwheat flour
- ½ sachet easy-blend dried yeast
- 300 ml lukewarm milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ tsp. salt (3 g)
- 25 g butter, melted
To serve with:
- butter
- icing sugar
These soft little puffs, a favorite with children, were traditionally a New Year’s treat in North Holland. On old paintings one can see that poffertjes were street food in the 17th century. Now there remain only a few poffertjes stalls as can be seen on the photo in the Dutch version of this site, about which Kneppelhout wrote in the 19th century: ‘Who has not repeatedly enjoyed the fullest, if not the purest delight in one of her two cabinets, narrow as deckhouses?’ Because of that feeling of delight, many people have a poffertjesplaat at home, even though nowadays supermarkets offer this delicacy ready-made. In the past they used to be served with Fosco, a cold chocolate drink, the predecessor of Chocomel. No longer for sale. You will find an old-fashioned recipe below.
• Mix plain flour, buckwheat flour and yeast in a bowl.
• Add half of the milk and eggs. Work with the dough hooks of a hand-held mixer until the batter is smooth and starts to come away slightly from the bowl (takes some time). Beat in the remaining milk and salt with the whisks of the mixer. Cover the bowl with foil. Let this batter rise for an hour at room temperature.
• Stir the proofed batter thoroughly. Grease the poffertjes plate with melted butter and heat over medium (!) heat. Fill each hole with batter using 2 small dessert spoons. Bake until the top is dry and has small holes. Do not rush because sticky poffertjes do not taste. Turn the poffertjes with a fork and cook the other side, which should not become crispy. Remove from the hot plate and keep warm on a dish placed on top of a pan with hot water.
• Cook the remaining batter in the same way.
• Serve on warm plates with a generous knob of butter and plenty of icing sugar.
Cold chocolate drink (Fosco, serves six):
50 g cocoa, 150 g sugar, pinch ground cinnamon, pinch ground cloves, 200ml water, 1200ml chilled milk.
Mix cocoa, sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Stir that mixture with some of the water into a thick smooth paste. Bring the remaining water to a boil, stir into the pasta and put everything back in the pan. Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until a light syrup has formed. Strain, let cool. This syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for two weeks. To serve: Pour 50 ml of syrup into a glass, stir in 200 ml of cold milk. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top.
