Puffed Apple Pancake

This dish is one that brings me back to every Christmas morning I’ve ever had.

It started when I was a kid, awake way too early, and lying in bed, waiting waiting waiting for it to be Time. Time to come out of my room. Time to spy the presents under the tree. Time for Christmas.

The general rule was 7:00, but I’m not sure how many times my parents actually managed to enforce that one. But, whatever the clock said, when it was finally Time, Dad would play a Christmas song on his guitar and my brothers and I would rush into the family room. Mom would hand out hot chocolate while we opened up our stockings. But before we could get to the tree, it was time for breakfast.

And Christmas Breakfast always meant one thing: Puffed Apple Pancake. Rich and decadent and oh, so delicious. It’s also so much easier to make than it seems. We always serve it with some extra crispy bacon (protein makes it healthy, right?), but I’ll leave that up to you.

Now that I’m a mom, I love keeping this tradition alive. It’s so much fun to have this sizzling in the oven, making the house smell like apples and butter and cinnamon, waiting for the fun and excitement to begin.

(This picture is actually from a Thanksgiving version of the dish, which is cheating, but it was a very special Thanksgiving spent with friends, so I thought it warranted The Pancake.)

[typography font=”Satisfy” size=”24″ size_format=”px” color=”#381b5e”]Puffed Apple Pancake [/typography] (Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1.5 cups milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 lb butter
• 2 apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 to 3 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• In a blender or large bowl, mix eggs, milk, flour, granulated sugar, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon until blended.  Batter may remain lumpy if using a bowl.
• Melt butter in a 12″ fluted porcelain quiche dish or 13″x9″ baking dish in oven.
• Add apples and return to oven until butter sizzles.  Do not let brown.
• Remove dish from oven and immediately pour batter over apples.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and return to oven.
• Bake on center rack for 20 minutes or until puffed and brown.
• Serve immediately with maple syrup, if desired.