Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Apple Puff Pancake






All night the wind rattled our windows and we could hear the last of the leaves ticking against the screens and whirling up the street. Hopefully the north wind will take them to another part of town. It was still chilly and blustery this morning. Just right for making an Apple Puff Pancake with some of the apples that have been languishing on the counter. Before I even dressed I peeled the apples and tossed them in a cast iron skillet with butter and brown sugar. Leaving the temp on low and the oven turned up, I ran upstairs to shower. When I came back they were starting to caramelize, but not fall apart. It only took about two minutes to mix the batter and pour over the apples. Another 20 minutes while I made a grocery list, put away dishes, and it was ready to pull out of the oven, crusty brown around the edges, little poofed hills and valleys across the center. It’s supposed to be two servings, but I divided it into thirds, (Denis, Anita and I)  we thanked God and ate it all. Great way to start the day. Hope renewed for all mankind. Okay. For here. For the moment.

Apple Puff Pancake in Cast Iron
(Serves 2-3)
Heat oven to 450 degrees.
Melt 3 T. butter in cast iron skillet (I use my smaller 9 inch Dutch oven) Make sure the sides are oiled, too.
3 apples, peeled, sliced
¼ c. brown sugar
½ t. cinnamon
Stir together and cook on medium to low heat for 10-12 minutes or until the apples begin to soften and caramelize.
2 eggs
¾ cup milk
½ t. salt
1 T. sugar
¾ c. flour
Whisk eggs and milk. Add flour, sugar and salt and whisk just until smooth. Pour over apples and bake for 15-20 minutes or until top is puffy and edges are browned. If it doesn’t puff, it’s still yummy. Drizzle with a little maple syrup. 

10 comments:

Stephanie said...

I will be making this this weekend. Sounds delicious, and I love an excuse to use my cast iron skillet!

Margie Haack said...

Yes! That's my girl!

Denis Haack said...

It was SO good.
Right now it's snowing north of us, which makes a breakfast like this even more of a grace. Warm, full of flavor and goodness as winter arrives.

Rebecca said...

It's in the oven. I'm so excited to try it--thanks for sharing!

Margie Haack said...

This recipe is pretty forgiving, so however it turned out, it should be good eating. Hope you enjoyed your breakfast, Rebecca.

Unknown said...

Made this as a snack for my family this evening after my husband suggested breakfast for dinner. He made a face when I suggested Apple Puff Pancake (he likes his pancakes flat and buttery - such a Pancake Traditionalist!). He relented and didn't regret it.

My family loved it. It's been a cold, cold weekend here in Orlando (go ahead and laugh); and the apple pancake was warm and comforting.

My dear husband peeled the apples while I looked, in vain, for my fancy apple peeler, slicer thingy. I think I spent more time looking for that thing than it took to actually peel and slice the apples. On the upside, one of my kitchen cabinets is now organized.

I made a couple of modifications. Since there are 4 people in my family I increased the ingredients by a third. And I added craisins near the end of caramelizing the apples.

Thanks for sharing the recipe. I will be making it again and again!

Christine

Teresa said...

I made this this past weekend and it was wonderful! Seems huge for 2 people but since it's mostly apples I guess that's alright. Thanks!!

Ms. Sabrina Harding said...

I was going to start surfing my favorite recipe sites for an apple recipe...glad I put it off to read blogs first. Can't wait to try this.

jenny said...

Oh, I am going to see if we can make this gluten free...thanks for the cast iron recipe! :)

Margie Haack said...

Jenny, if you do this g-f, please let me know how it turns out. I have friends and family with serious g-f and I love to make things for then that are yummy and safe.