Clătite cu Apă Minerală
Clătite cu Apă Minerală·(klah-TEE-teh koo AH-pah mee-neh-RAH-lah)
Dulcegării (Mamaie’s Bakery & Sweets)
If there’s a smell that defines a Romanian childhood, it’s butter hitting a hot skillet on a Friday evening. While the French have their crêpes and the Russians their blinis, Romanians have clătite. The secret here isn't precious technique, it's pure utility: highly carbonated mineral water aerates the batter, making them impossibly tender without chemical leaveners. We keep the canonical batter unsweetened so it works as a foolproof canvas—ready to wrap up sweet cheese, fruit preserves, or last night's chicken stew.
Before you start
Mix the sweet cheese filling while the batter rests.
Stir together the drained ricotta, powdered sugar, soaked raisins, rum extract, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Set aside until you are ready to assemble the crepes.
Ingredients
- large eggs3 large
- all-purpose flour2 cup
- whole milk2 cup
- unflavored seltzer water1 cup
- unsalted butter3 1/2 tbsp
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- vanilla extract1 tsp
- whole milk ricotta cheese1 lb
- powdered sugar1/3 cup
- raisins1/2 cup
- rum extract1 tsp
- lemon1 med
Method
- 01
Whisk the batter to a smooth, thin consistency.
Whisk the eggs and salt until frothy, then stir in the melted butter. Add a third of the flour to create a thick paste to prevent lumps, then gradually alternate whisking in the milk and remaining flour. Gently fold in the freshly opened seltzer and vanilla until the batter looks like melted ice cream.
- 02
Walk away and let the batter rest for twenty minutes.
This is non-negotiable. Resting hydrates the gluten, allowing the flour to absorb the liquid so your clătite won't tear in the pan.
- 03
Cook the crepes in a hot, lightly oiled skillet.
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and wipe it with a barely-there sheen of oil. Pour a quarter cup of batter into the center and immediately swirl the pan to coat the bottom evenly. Cook for a minute until the edges crisp and curl, then flip and cook the other side for thirty seconds.
- 04
Trap the steam to ensure maximum softness.
Slide the finished crepe onto a plate and immediately cover it with an upside-down plate or lid. Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking and covering every single time. This traps the escaping steam and softens the crispy edges, rendering the crepes exceptionally pliable.
- 05
Fill, roll, and serve immediately.
Spread a few tablespoons of the sweet cheese filling across the lower third of a warm crepe. Roll it up tightly like a cigar, dust with powdered sugar, and eat it standing at the kitchen counter.
Notes
The fat goes in the batter, not just the pan.
Adding melted butter directly to the mix means you rarely need to grease the skillet between crepes. It saves time and prevents a heavy, greasy finish.
Leftovers keep beautifully.
Store cooked, unfilled crepes in a zip-top bag in the fridge for up to three days. Microwave them for ten seconds to restore their absolute softness.
From Cook Romanian in America.