When we've visited our friends in Buffalo Grove, IL, we've gone to Walker Bros. Pancake House for breakfast. They feature this amazing apple pancake. It's large; it has apples; it's delicious. Following is a recipe that approximates that pancake's greatness.

I usually double the recipe below to make 2 pancakes; the recipe below should make one. I don't have a skillet that can go in the oven, and I'm pretty sure that's what the Walkers do. Instead I use a skillet to saute the apples and then bake the thing in a pyrex 9" pie dish.

Take 2 large apples -- I use Fuji or Granny Smith but any would probably work -- and peel them, core them, and cut them into chunks. Melt some butter (maybe 2 Tbls) in a pan and saute the apples until they are soft but not totally mush. Turn off the heat, and then take some brown sugar (1/8 to 1/4 cup) and stir it in with the apples until the sugar melts and coats everything.

In a bowl, whisk togethe 3 eggs, 1 tsp sugar (I use brown sugar because it's already out), a pinch of salt (I use sea salt because I'm a salt snob), and 1/2 cup milk or buttermilk. If you use buttermilk, it will be a thicker batter so you may need to thin it with some regular milk and sweeten it some with some more sugar.

Then take 1/2 cup flour and while whisking the stuff in the bowl, slowly incorporate the flour. The result should be fairly lumpless and smooth.

Either pour that batter into your skillet for the oven, or, grease with butter a pie pan (9 inches), put the apples in there with all the sugar goo from the skillet, and then pour the batter over that.

In either case, put the "thing" into an oven at 400 (convection) or 450 (non convection) and bake for 10 minutes. At that point it should be set but not brown. Take it out, and sprinkle 2 Tblsp brown sugar all over the top. You can sprinkle some cinnamon on top too. I like the cinnamon but my kids don't.

Put it back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until the thing is puffed up, brown, and the new brown sugar is mostly melted on the top.

Take it out. I've heard that at this point you can sprinkle the top with some lemon juice, but I tried that and didn't like it. So I just eat it at this point.

Post replies about your success or nonsuccess!

Posted by: LINDA at November 29, 2003 4:38 PM

Posted by: KH at May 22, 2004 8:14 PM