Puffed Apple Pancake Recipe

On Christmas Eve I pulled out my trusty The Gourmet Cookbook to look for Christmas morning breakfast inspiration. I was looking for recipes that would feel right for the holiday, but wouldn't require a bunch of heard-to-find ingredients, since most shops would be closed on the morning of the 25th. I debated molasses pancakes, but decided a puffed apple pancake sounded like the just right choice.

The apples bake into the pancake batter to create a filled pancake with the cake-y consistency. We didn't have ground cloves, so I added a bit of ground nutmeg instead. Next time, I would cook it just a little longer than 20 minutes to get it a bit browner. I'll also cut back on the sugar--the recipe is very sweet (almost dessert-like) as written!

Puffed Apple Pancake
From The Gourmet Cookbook

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4" thick
1 T. fresh lemon juice
3 T. packed light brown sugar
4 T. granulated sugar
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves
3 T. unsalted butter
3/4 c. whole milk
3 large eggs
2/3 c. all-purpose flour
scant 1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. In a bowl, toss apples with lemon juice, brown sugar, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, cinnamon and cloves.
3. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet (Gourmet recommends nonstick, but I used cast iron and it worked out fine). Add apples and cook, stirring occasionally until just tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer apples and any liquid to a wide bowl and let cool.
4. Heat cleaned skillet in oven for 5 minutes. Combine eggs, milk, flour, remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar, salt and vanilla in a blender and blend until smooth.
5. Remove skillet from oven and melt remaining 1 1/2 tablespoon of butter in skillet over moderately high heat. Then pour batter into skillet. Spoon apple mixture evenly over top (some of the apples will sink in).
6. Bake pancake until puffed and golden and a wooden toothpick comes out clean, 15 to 20+ minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar to make it pretty!