We are in the home stretch and sooooooooo close to finishing our move to the new house! It’s been a little hectic over here as we pack away our life into boxes. Half our belongings are still in the apartment and the rest are waiting for us at the house. Recipe testing for the cookbook and upcoming projects have been a little tricky, but I’m making due with a skeleton crew version of my kitchen. 

Honestly, it’s actually quite fun to figure out what I can make with only a few knives, a can of coconut milk, seaweed and 30 pounds of bread flour. Coconut Seaweed Buns don’t sound terrible, right?

Feeding ourselves actual square meals has been a whole other challenge though, since we can't live off of buns and mooncakes. We’ve essentially been trying to order delivery from our favorite neighborhood spots and living off of the freezer stash of food I’ve created over the last few months. That means a lot of frozen dumplings and, thankfully, a few scallion pancake iterations! Did you know you can freeze scallion pancakes raw and cook them just as you would fresh ones?! It’s the best and such a treat. Directions are below.

I have a few of these Leek and Havarti Pancakes in the freezer and I feel like now is an excellent time to bust those bad boys out! I didn’t think scallion pancakes could get any better… until I had the idea to stuff them with leeks and Castello Creamy Havarti! Holy cow!!!! You get to experience mini cheese pulls and tons of flakey layers at the same time and it’s just SO. GOOD.

I can’t even begin to explain to you how amazing Castello Creamy Havarti is. It’s so tasty on its own or with a few crunchy crackers. Havarti is mild, creamy and just a little tangy. It’s so easy to eat a block without thinking twice about it. Castello Creamy Havarti in particular has a really amazing texture that makes it easily sliceable and shreddable to add to sandwiches and pancakes! It pairs so wonderfully with the caramelized leeks that get just a little sweet and slightly charred.

I hope you give these pancakes a try and open up your scallion pancake horizons! You can really use any tender herb or allium in place of scallions. Basil, caramelized onions, chives, dill, cilantro and even tarragon would be lovely between those layers and work with Castello’s amazing Havarti or any of the brand’s other varieties of cheeses found in the specialty cheese aisle! They have so many and they are all so yummy : )

Leek and Havarti Pancakes

makes 4 large pancakes

materials:

10oz (slightly less than 2 cups) all-purpose flour
6oz (3/4 cup) warm water
2 tbsp canola oil or other neutral oil, more for brushing the board and frying
3 cups sliced leeks
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups (about 1/2 block) Castello Creamy Havarti
2 tbsp olive oil

steps:

1. To make the dough, combine flour and warm water in a medium mixing bowl. With a flexible spatula or pair of chopsticks, mix until a shaggy dough forms. Start kneading the dough with your hand until smooth, 6-8 minutes. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes, or up to 6 hours at room temperature. The longer the dough rests, the flakier the pancakes. The dough shown here was resting for 4 hours.

2. While the dough is resting, caramelize the leeks. Heat canola oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the leeks and season with salt. Continue to cook, while stirring occasionally, until tender and caramelized around the edges, 12-15 minutes. Transfer the leeks to a small bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.

3. Grate the Havarti on the largest holes of a box grater and set aside in a bowl.

4. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and form into small balls. Brush a wooden cutting board with canola oil to help the dough stretch out thin. Working with one portion at a time, roll out a piece of dough into a 10x12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with a light layer of olive oil. Sprinkle a quarter of the leeks and Havarti over the surface of the dough. Along the longer edge of the dough, tightly roll up the dough into a rope. Roll up the rope into a coil and set aside. Repeat with remaining portions of dough, brushing the wooden cutting board, if needed, in-between, and allow the dough coils to rest for 15 minutes.

5. Starting with the first dough coil you formed, roll out the coil into an 8-inch round, and a side aside on a plate or portion of your counter. Repeat with remaining dough.

6. Heat enough canola oil in a pan to fully cover the bottom over medium high heat. Once hot, carefully lower one pancake into the pan and fry on one side until golden brown, 2 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until golden brown, 2 more minutes. Place the cooked pancake on a wire rack set over a baking tray. Repeat with remaining pancakes and enjoy immediately.

Freezing instructions: Freeze raw pancakes by sandwiching the pancakes in between layers of parchment paper (cut to squares just bigger than the pancakes). Stack the pancakes on a plate or small baking tray and freeze until solid. Transfer to a Ziplock bag