It's About Taste Not Looks

I made this awhile back when I first got my new camera in October. I didn't really know what I was doing with the camera so I just turned it on, adjusted a couple settings and started shooting. For the most part, the pictures turned out okay, but you could tell I was still practicing :-). The white balance on them is a little off and some of them were way blurry, but it was really good and that's what really matters, right? It's about how it tastes, not how it looks.

I had my first Dutch Baby Pancake at The Original Pancake House with my mom back in July for her birthday. I liked it, but it was different than anything I've ever had- it's a little custardy, and light, and served with lemon. That seemed strange to me, but it works. I wasn't sure my husband would really be fond of this, but if I served it caramelized, cinnamon-y apples??? Oh yes, he'd be delighted to eat it. And he was!

You can make this puffed apple pancake one of two ways. You can bake the fruit into the batter, or you can serve the fruit in the well of the pancake after it's cooked. I think any cooked stone fruit, apples or pears would be good with this, as well as fresh berries or bananas. We really liked this one and it was fairly simple to make. The only thing I would change next time would be to make more apples for topping. They were delicious! Hope you'll give it a try this weekend.

Puffed Apple Pancake adapted from Dinner With Julie

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• 2 apples or pears
• 1-2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1-2 Tbsp. butter
• 1-2 Tbsp. sugar
• Pinch cinnamon
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup milk
• Powdered sugar and lemon slices, for serving

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Peel (if you want), core and slice the apples. In a large skillet (if you have an ovenproof one, use it), saute the apples in the oil and butter over medium heat for a minute or two. Sprinkle them with the sugar and cinnamon and cook until they start to turn golden and begin to soften. Remove the apples from the heat.

Whisk together the eggs, flour, and milk. Don’t worry about getting all the lumps out. Now you can proceed one of two ways: 1) Pour the batter over the apples in the skillet and put it in the oven. (If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet, pour the sauteed apples into a deep dish pie plate and pour the batter over them.) The apples will bake straight into the pancake, but it won’t rise quite as high with the fruit inside; or 2) Remove the apples and set them aside to serve on top, then pour the batter into the hot pan. This way the pancake will rise even higher and look more dramatic.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pancake is puffed and golden. Cut it into wedges and serve warm with the fruit and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Serves 4.

Puffed Berry Pancake: Omit the apples altogether. Drizzle the ovenproof skillet with a little oil, and pop it in the oven for a few minutes to heat up. Pour the batter into the hot skillet and bake as directed. Fill the puffed pancake with fresh berries or other sliced fruit, and serve with syrup or vanilla yogurt for breakfast or for dessert with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.