Make these beautiful pancakes for someone special, and really make their morning.
This pancake is no spongy, syrup soaking flapjack sugar high and crash roller coaster ride. Instead, what you see here is a great tasting, fresh, family pleasing breakfast specialty that combines complex carbohydrates and protein to give you a sustained energy burn. And, wow, would it light up the mom in the house if you laid it down on the table Mother’s Day morning!
The hardest part about making this apple pancake is turning it over from fruit-side up to fruit-side down so that the fruit side of pancake can cook in the pan and then turning the pancake back to fruit-side up to serve on a plate. No problem. The step-by-step picture book directions below show how to make those turns as easily and safely as possible using either a pan top or large plate.
Preparation Time: 5-10 minutes
Total Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients
(per 8-10 inch pancake)
1 Large or 2 Small Apples
2 Eggs
Dash of Salt
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 Tablespoons Flour (I like using whole wheat flour but any flour will work)
Handful Dried Cranberries and/or Raisins
Milk
Butter or Margarine
Ground Cinnamon
Equipment
Mixing Bowl
Whisk or Fork
Teaspoon
Tablespoon
Sharp Knife
Cutting Board
10-Inch Frying Pan
Large Plate or Pan Top
Spatula
1. Break 2 eggs into a bowl, and add the following:
Dash of salt
1 level tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons flour
Handful of dried cranberries (use 2 handfuls of dried cranberries if you’re NOT also using raisins or any other dried fruit).
Handful of raisins (use 2 handfuls of raisins if you’re NOT also using dried cranberries or any other dried fruit), and…
2-3 tablespoons (or a good splash if you don’t want to measure) milk
2. Stir vigorously with either a fork or whisk until…
…the batter is evenly mixed (there’s no need to get rid of every lump) as shown here.
3. Put the pan on the stove, and turn on the burner to LOW-MEDIUM heat.
4. While the pan warms, rinse the apple(s) in the sink, shake them dry, and prepare them as follows:
Cut the apple(s) in half lengthwise, and cut each apple half in half again.
CAREFULLY remove the core from each apple quarter, and finish by…
…cutting slices about 1/4 inch (6 mm) wide.
5. Check the frying pan for the proper cooking temperature by running cold tap water on your fingers and flicking the water onto the pan surface. The pan is warm enough to cook when the water evaporates with a sizzle. NOTE: If the water sizzles and evaporates into steam as soon as it hits the pan surface, remove the pan from the heat for a few minutes to let it cool. Turn down the burner heat a few notches. Then heat and test the pan again. If the water doesn’t sizzle at all, keep warming the pan.
6. When the pan is warm enough to cook, add a 1/4 – 1/2 inch (6-12 mm) slab of butter or margarine to the pan as shown. Then…
…swirl the butter or margarine in the pan by rolling your wrist as shown in the two photos below until…
…the pan surface is evenly coated as shown here.
7. Pour all the batter into the warm pan,…
…and give the pan a quick back and forth shuffle to ensure the batter covers the pan surface evenly.
8. Top with apple slices until…
…the batter is evenly covered.
9. Cook for 5-7 minutes (or longer) making sure the butter or margarine barely bubbles as shown below. (If the butter or margarine bubbles vigorously, turn the stove heat down until the bubbles barely foam. If the butter or margarine doesn’t bubble at all, turn up the burner heat until it does.)
Give the pan a back and forth shuffle every few minutes to ensure the pancake stays loose on the pan surface, and then…
…check the pancake bottom for doneness by sliding a spatula under and lifting up a corner of the pancake—the bottom is done when it is lightly browned as shown here.
10. When the pancake bottom is lightly browned, use a spatula to transfer the half cooked pancake either to a large pan top (top left photo) or a big plate (bottom right photo)
Add a 1/4 inch (6 mm) slab of butter or margarine to the top of the pancake.
Cover the pancake with the pan, apply enough pressure with both hands to keep the pan snugly in place over the pancake, and maintain the pressure while turning both hands as a unit as shown whether using a pan top or…
…large plate…
…so that the pancake is now fruit-side down on the pan surface like this.
11. Cook for another 2-5 minutes, making sure to shuffle the pan once or twice to ensure the pancake doesn’t stick to the pan bottom, until…
…the pancake feels firm to the touch.
12. Cover and turn the finished pancake fruit-side up using either a pan top or…
…or plate.
13. Check the pancake for DONENESS. The pancake is properly cooked when the batter is firm throughout as shown here and not runny or soft and sticky.
If however, your pancake batter looks like this—still slightly soft and sticky, put the pancake back in the pan fruit-side down, and cook it until the batter looks like the batter in the properly cooked pancake picture above.
11. Finish by sprinkling the pancake with ground cinnamon and…
…sugar to taste.
Read more Best Meal Ever stories on The Good Life.
Images courtesy of the author