My very patient and understanding husband proceeded to help me cut up 40 lbs. of apples. I mixed all my recipes with a 50/50 mix of both types of apples. I made 4 apple pies, apple muffins, apple bread, apple strudel, caramel apple turnovers and canned 8 jars of apple pie filling and then I was pretty much done with apples. I froze most of the baked goods but I was done looking at apples for awhile and even done looking at my kitchen for a while. The problem was that I had about 10 lbs. of apples left and I didn't know what to do with them. So I just cut them up, flash froze them, put them in freezer bags and hoped for the best. A few months went by and I saw this recipe. It was from America's Test Kitchen. They have amazing recipes! And this one looked really good and different. I decided it was time to try out my frozen apples. I made it. And it was, well, awesome!
If you like German Pancakes and you like cooked apples, then you will love this recipe.
German Apple Pancake adapted from America's Test Kitchen
** You will need either a 10 in. or 20 in. (if you douple the recipe) dutch oven skillet or a pan that can go from the stove to the oven.
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (2 1/2 ounces)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 pounds Granny Smith apples and/or Fuji apples (3 to 4 large apples), peeled, quartered, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/4 cup light brown sugar or dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
confectioners' sugar for dusting
Favorite Syrup
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 (but carefully), pour batter over the apples starting on the outside of the pan and moving toward the center so as to evenly displace all batter and not push the apples out of the pan. 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 18 minutes.
Using oven mitts to protect hands, remove hot skillet from oven and loosen pancake edges with heatproof rubber spatula. You can leave the pancake in the pan or invert pancake onto serving platter. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, cut into wedges, and serve. You can serve with syrup if you would like, but you don't have to. We served with the following syrup.
Buttermilk Carmel Syrup
From Our Best Bites
3/4 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 stick real butter
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
Combine buttermilk, sugar, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda in a LARGE pot...it will bubble over.
Bring ingredients to a boil and reduce heat to low (as long as it’s still bubbling, you’re okay). Cook, stirring very frequently, for 8-9 minutes.
When it’s done, it should take on this luscious golden-brown color. Remove from heat and add vanilla. There will be foam on top. It tastes just as good, but it’s not super pretty. If you’re into aesthetics, you can skim it off; otherwise, just give it a good stir.
