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!

Awesome Apple Galette

I'd originally planned to make a recipe for a brown butter apple tart from Bon Appetit for Thanksgiving, but my lack of a tart pan foiled my plot. Instead, I wheeled out an old favorite, a Galette de Pommes au Calvados from Gourmet magazine. I made this recipe to the letter when it was published in 2003, and it knocked the socks of any ordinary apple pie. While the recipe as it is written is heavenly, I've been making cheater's versions of it ever since.

What makes my tarts "cheater's versions?" Well, for one, I almost always swap store-bought applesauce for the homemade variety in the original recipe. And if I am super-lazy, I just use a frozen puffed pastry in lieu of the made-from-scratch all-butter pastry dough. Plus, I never have Calvados on hand (who does?), so I use good old American bourbon in the applesauce. Even with my shortcuts the tart's still delightfully delicious. This dessert isn't super-sweet, so the leftovers (if there are any) are great for a (semi) decadent breakfast.

Here's how I made my simplified tart this year:

Apple Galette
Adapted from Gourmet
Serves 8+

All-butter pastry dough
1 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons good-quality bourbon
1 3/4 lb Gala apples
1/3 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons apple jelly
1 cup chilled heavy cream
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons Calvados
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: parchment paper; a large baking sheet (at least 14 inches wide)

1. Heat the applesauce, zest and cinnamon in a small sauce pan and simmer for 15 minutes. Let cool.
2. Roll out all-butter pastry dough (or frozen pastry dough) on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a rough 16-inch round (1/8 inch thick), then transfer carefully to parchment-lined large baking sheet. Loosely fold in edge of pastry where necessary to fit on baking sheet, then chill, covered loosely with plastic wrap, 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 425°F.
4. While pastry is chilling, peel and core apples, then cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Toss slices with lemon juice and 1/3 cup granulated sugar.
5. Put baking sheet with pastry on a work surface and unfold any edges so pastry is flat. Spread applesauce over pastry, leaving a 2-inch border, and top sauce with sliced apples, mounding slightly. Fold edges of dough over filling, partially covering apples (center will not be covered) and pleating dough as necessary. Dot apples with butter, then brush pastry edge lightly with water and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar. Bake galette in middle of oven until pastry is golden and apples are tender, 40 to 45 minutes.
6. While galette is baking, melt apple jelly (apricot will do in a pinch!) in a very small saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring.
7. Slide baked galette on parchment onto a rack, then brush with melted jelly and cool.
Serve galette until warm or room temperature with freshly whipped cream.

Simple Summer Recipes

I don't mean to be so recipe-centric, but I guess I've been cooking a lot lately. Here are four more recipes I have tried and liked in recent days:

Last Friday, I tried a Soy-Glazed Flank Steak from Everyday Food, which I cooked on a Le Creuset grill pan, since I lack an actual barbecue, and it was tasty. To accompany the steak I made a basic green salad and roasted new potatoes. I served them with another recipe from the Food & Wine article I mentioned, this one was a simple tomato salad with herbs and Parmigiano-Reggiano. For dessert, I made roasted plums (again from Everyday Food); they were delicious served with vanilla ice cream.

Then last night, I cooked this Seared Salmon with Balsamic Glaze, which appears in The Gourmet Cookbook (a personal favorite). We only cooked 1 lb. of fish, so I halved the ingredients on the glaze and only needed three minutes per side.