baked apple pancake

This exceptional souffle is a great entrée or breakfast meal for special occasions; beyond words, it pleases the sweet tooth of the child in each of us.  The directions are easy to follow; yet the outcome is a work of art, a display of love.

Our prized pancake weds together flavors, that strengthen and embellish each other.  Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page inspired me with their helpful contribution concerning the enhancement of foods, one with another.  For instance, they list “food matches made in heaven” in Culinary Artistry.  This comprehensive list, with its apt name, includes superb parings for apples; my favorites are: bacon, cheese, currants, maple syrup, oatmeal, nuts, raisins, rosemary, sausages, sour cream, and yogurt.  1

Among Dornenburg and Page’s classic poetic unions for apples are: brown sugar, caramel, cinnamon, cream, custard, and vanilla.  Indeed, this dish is a testimony of the symphonic joining of these outstanding ingredients, for here they are baked together as one glorious whole.  2

This book teaches beautiful truths about how foods work in harmony, by employing either specific techniques or adding various ingredients.  Our authors write: “One flavor can overwhelm another, while in smaller quantity, as an accent, the same flavor has the power to bring out the other.”  We supplement sweetness with a pinch of salt when making fudge, while a touch of sugar is required to complete tart balsamic vinaigrette (see balsamic vinaigrette, 2016/08/22).  Such small additions intensify the main ingredient, giving relative prominence to it.  Too much of them, however, will destroy the finished food.  3

This principle of the harmonic blending of foods made me think of my acting days in community theatre, where I learned not to upstage my fellow actor, or steal away from his critical moment.  This truth transcends acting, however, for we all need to uphold each other’s performances daily, by downplaying our own.

Much like salt used in cooking, we can augment each other tastefully in our relationships-whether this be in holy matrimony or God-given friendships; thus, we grow together.  Let us regard our loved ones carefully by being salt and light to them.  Begin practicing this principle, by entertaining someone sumptuously this Valentine’s Day, with this triumphant apple pancake.

1. Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, Culinary Artistry (Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1996), p. 88.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid., p. 47.

ingredients for apple pancake

Apple Pancake  Yields: 2-3 servings.  Total prep time: 1 hr & 10 min/  active prep time: 20 min/  baking time: 50 min.

Note: this is especially good served with Aidell’s natural, spicy-mango-with-jalapeno sausages, thus giving a beautiful hot, spicy contrast.  You may choose to double the recipe, providing you have 2 10-inch Pyrex pie plates, as cold left-overs are great with vanilla ice cream!)

10″ Pyrex pie plate

5 tbsp of butter

1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour  (If desired, grind 1/3 c organic soft winter white wheat berries to make 1/2 c flour.)

1/2 c unbleached white flour  (Bob’s Red Mill organic is my favorite; note you may choose to omit the whole wheat flour and use all unbleached white.)

1/2 tsp salt

5 lg eggs, beaten

1 c milk  (May use alternative milks, such as almond or hazelnut.)

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract  (I use a high quality and terribly inexpensive Mexican vanilla, which I get through friends traveling to Mexico.)

1/2 c brown sugar  (Organic is best; may be found at Trader Joe’s and at times Costco.  May substitute 1 c healthier coconut sugar in place of 1/2 c brown and 1/2 c white sugars; for benefits of coconut sugar, see Zucchini Bread, 2017/07/24.)

1/2 c granulated sugar  (Organic is available in a 2-lb package at Trader’s, or in a more economical 10-lb bag at Costco.)

2 tbsp cinnamon   (A superb, organic Korintje cinnamon is available in bulk at our local Fred Meyer’s.)

2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced very thin

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Grind flour, if you are using fresh-ground.
3. Place butter in a 10-inch Pyrex pie plate.  Melt butter in oven.
4. In a med/large bowl, mix together flour and salt; blend in eggs and milk; stir in vanilla.  Set aside.
5. When butter is melted, pour batter in pie plate.  Place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until edges are puffed up and golden brown.
6. Meanwhile prepare apples.  First, blend sugars and cinnamon in a med/large bowl; then, cut and add apple slices.  Mix well; sugars will get wet (see photo above).  Set aside.
7. When pancake is puffed up after 20-25 minutes, quickly remove from oven and distribute apple mixture evenly in the hollow made by the edges.
8. Return to oven as fast as possible and bake another 20-25 minutes, or until pancake is deep brown (see top photo).
9. Serve immediately.  This is a heaven-sent treat!