Caroline Remebered

As many of you know, I returned home this summer for the funeral of my Grandmother Caroline. Even though Caroline was born in South Dakota, her love of polka and the Lutheran Church gave away her German heritage. When I was younger, we'd visit her home in Oregon and two common breakfast foods that she'd serve were grapefruit and shredded wheat bars. Do not be mistaken, this shredded wheat was neither frosted nor mini, it was the size of a small loaf and had to be softened in milk. In her later years, through, Grandmother developed quite a sweet tooth. So when I came across this recipe for a German apple pancake, that features a healthy amount of brown sugar, I though "this is a dish she would have thoroughly enjoyed."

If you're in the mood for something savory, you can replace the brown sugar and cinnamon with some diced ham and fresh minced sage.

German Apple Pancake

A 10-inch ovenproof skillet is necessary for this recipe; I highly recommend using a nonstick skillet for the sake of easy cleanup, but a regular skillet will work as well. You can also use a cast-iron pan; if you do, set the oven temperature to 425 degrees in step 1, and when cooking the apples in step 3, cook them only until just barely golden, about 6 minutes. Cast iron retains heat better than stainless steel, making the higher oven temperature unnecessary. If you prefer tart apples, use Granny Smiths; if you prefer sweet ones, use Braeburns. For serving, dust the apple pancake with confectioners' sugar.

Serves 1-2 people

Ingredients

½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

½ teaspoon table salt

2 large eggs

2/3 cup half-and-half

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 ¼ pounds Braeburn or Fuji apples (3 to 4 large apples), peeled, quartered, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

¼ cup light or dark brown sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon lemon juice

confectioners' sugar for dusting

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position; heat oven to 500 degrees.

Whisk to combine flour, granulated sugar, and salt in medium bowl. In second medium bowl, whisk eggs, half-and-half, and vanilla until combined. Add liquid ingredients to dry and whisk until no lumps remain, about 20 seconds; set batter aside.

Heat butter in 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling. Add apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon; cook, stirring frequently with heatproof rubber spatula, until apples are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in lemon juice.

Working quickly, pour batter around edges of pan and then and the middle. Place skillet in oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees; bake until pancake edges are brown and puffy and have risen above edges of skillet, about 15-18 minutes.

Using oven mitts to protect hands, remove hot skillet from oven and loosen pancake edges with heatproof rubber spatula; invert pancake onto serving platter. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve!