A few weeks ago, Smitten Kitchen posted a lovely looking recipe for apple pancakes. Now, I am not usually a pancake person. I don’t crave sweet things in the morning, and if I got out for brunch, I always want eggs. But these pancakes appealed to me, and I had a friend coming into town for the weekend and wanted to do some lovely breakfast thing, so I decided to give this pancake thing a try. And despite my poor pancake cooking skills, they did no disappoint.
Deb mentioned that the original recipe needed “a little more oomph,” and I thought and thought about what that missing something might be. Cinnamon seemed like a no-brainer, but I wanted to go a little further, do something a little less predictable. And then I saw it: my new housemate had added to our spice shelf a bottle of dried Valencia orange peel. It smelled heavenly. It was perfect. That, and a bit of dried ginger added the kick the original recipe was missing.
I have to say, though, that my first pancake cooking experience wasn’t spectacular. I had some problems cooking them through all the way, which I didn’t realize until I’d, you know, served them. I guess it will take some practice.
Apple Pancakes
- 2 eggs, well beaten
- 1 1/2 c. milk
- 2 c. flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 3 medium apples, peeled and coarsely grated
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ginger powder
- 1 tsp. dried Valencia orange peel
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Mix the eggs and the milk in a large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add the flour mixture to the eggs, mixing until the dry ingredients have just disappeared into the egg mixture. Mix in the apples and seasonings, and stir to combine.
Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet, and pour in about 1/2 a cup of batter. Let it cook until golden brown on the underside, and then flip and cook for another few minutes. You’ll probably have to gauge your cooking time based on your skillet and your stove and whatnot. Most of my pancakes turned out alright, but a few were a little bit…liquid on the inside.
The best part about these pancakes is that the apples don’t cook completely, so they are still a bit tart and fresh. Deb suggested confectioners sugar to top them, but I think maple syrup was perfect. These are a great fall breakfast, and maybe I will be more open to pancakes in the future.
Now I want to find other things to make with the dried Valencia orange peel. I love it, it just smells like heaven. Any suggestions?