German Apple Pancakes

When I was in high school, I had a roommate named Jen who was a self-described Wiccan.

It's actually not that hard to be considered a Wiccan when you're in military school.  Basically all you have to do is go heavy on the black eyeliner and pump the Indigo Girls, maybe light a few scented candles (contraband) and tell people you believe Jim Morrison was reincarnated in the body of your family's favorite parrot.  It's not hard to get people to believe much when you're stuck in the middle of a cornfield.

Jen's parents owned a restaurant in the Detroit area that served German apple pancakes - a delicious, hearty cake that was baked in a cast iron skillet.  They served it with walnuts and huge chunks of buttery brown sugar on top of it; we'd generally top it with vanilla ice cream (contraband) and eat it while sitting on the floor of our dorm room, surrounded by candles.  It was thick enough to be a cake, and really only Midwesterners would consider such a thing breakfast. 

I'm not a big sweets-in-the-morning kinda girl, but I have thought about those pancakes over the years.  They made regular pancakes look like dry sponges in a cupcake bakery, you know?  So a while ago I started looking around for the perfect recipe.

I ended up finding a decent recipe on Emeril Agassi's website - Martha Stewart has a similar recipe, and the Food Network hosts have dozens of contenders (I advise you to avoid Paula Deen's recipe, as it uses apple pie filling in an effort to save time.  You should also save your appetite for something better).

If you have children, this is a great recipe in that it's sweet enough to please the little ones without needing puddles of syrup covering it.  It's also delightfully easy, perfect for Sunday mornings when you would rather be doing the crossword and watching Meet the Press, definitely not caffeinated for a full recipe (moreso than pouring batter over some sauteed apples).  And while this isn't the thick, heavy German pancake of my youth, this one is definitely fit for the metabolism of my age.  And it sure as hell beats hanging out with that stupid parrot.

German Apple Pancake (recipe adapted from Emeril Agassi)

4 large eggs
1 cup milk (we used skim)
1 cup flour
1 t pure vanilla extract
3 T unsalted butter
3 large apples (we used McIntosh), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 t cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
Confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, flour, and vanilla together to create a light batter.  Try not to overmix this, and then leave it for 15 minutes.

In an ovenproof skillet (cast iron works well), saute the apples in butter until tender.  Top with cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  When the apples are happily soft, add the brown sugar, mixing to form a lovely brown coating to your apples.  If you like things sweeter, don't be afraid to drop in a few extra tablespoons of the good stuff.  You'll probably add the same calories in confectioner's sugar, or maple syrup (if you're like my charming Yankee husband).

When your apples are happily tender and brown, pour the batter directly over it and stick the whole kit and caboodle in the oven for a good 15 minutes.  The batter will puff up like a giant elephant ear, or funnel cake, which will make you nervous (if you're like me).  But have no fear!  The puffing up is the best part of the whole thing!  If you've put enough sugar on the apples, you'll have a delightful donut-like, pull apart elephant ear to eat before you start plating it for your family.