Imagine a cross between a Dutch baby and an American-style pancake, which is then chopped up, and you have Tatsch — a traditional dish from the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Of course, it’s also very similar, if not identical, to Austria’s Kaiserschmarren. You probably have all the ingredients you need to make it already in your kitchen. It’s quick, easy and filling. My children love it, and I do too.
Tatsch can be made sweet or savory. Typically, you will find it dusted with powdered sugar and paired with fruit preserves or applesauce. Most of the recipes contain regular all-purpose flour, but Swissmilk has also shared a gluten-free recipe for Mais-Tatsch that uses cornflour (maismehl in German, or farine de maïs in French). If you would like to try a savory version, Schweizer Käse has a recipe for Tatsch made with Tilsiter cheese.
The options are really endless for this versatile chopped pancake. I have made a Chocolate Tatsch by adding a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder. You can also add raisins or substitute some cinnamon for the lemon zest. You can eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner — or for a hearty afternoon snack.
The recipe below for Lemon Tatsch was inspired by two versions of Tatsch from two different sources: a recipe from Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) that originally came from Bäuerinnenvereinigung Graubünden and another recipe printed in Schweizer Illustrierten from the well-known Swiss chef, Andreas Caminada.
How to make it:
Lemon Tatsch
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- about 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- zest of half a lemon
- 1 cup milk
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- about 1-2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- powdered sugar
Directions
- Add the flour, sugar and salt to a large bowl. Whisk them together until well-blended.
- Add the lemon zest, milk, eggs and vanilla paste to the flour mixture in the large bowl. Whisk them together until the batter is smooth.
- Let the batter rest for about 60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375° F/190° C
- On the stove, melt about 1 tablespoons of unsalted butter in an oven-proof skillet. Swirl it around the bottom and the sides to help make sure the batter does not stick.
- Take the skillet off the heat and pour in the batter. Put the skillet into the preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes, just until the pancake has set.
- Remove the pancake from the oven and cut the pancake into bite-size piece. Add the second tablespoon of unsalted butter to the same pan and fry the pancake over medium-high heat until it turns golden brown.
- Dust the warm Tatsch with powdered sugar. Serve immediately, while still a little warm, with fruit preserves or applesauce. I like it with apricot or sour cherry.
How do you make Tatsch? What do you serve it with? Please leave a comment below or send me an email. Thanks!
Updated: May 10, 2022