Apple Pancake Contest

During a recent weekend in Chicago, my mom and I developed cravings for a diner-like breakfast. Some scouting around the internet had me drooling for the apple pancake at Sally’s Waffle Shop in the Jefferson Park neighborhood. Even the 45 minute wait for the amazing piece of heaven wasn’t enough to quell my love for this! We feasted on its crisp and sweet exterior and cake like inside.  Back at home, we embarked on a competition to re-create it. My mother insisted it was a Swedish Apple Pie… I won the competition with this delicious pancake, but it wasn’t close to the heaven we had at Sally’s. Perhaps fewer eggs would have helped. (http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/2/16195/restaurant/Jefferson-Park-Norwood-Park/Sallys-Waffle-and-Pancake-Shop-Chicago)

Filling:
3 or 4 tart green apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 cup granulated sugar
2 T ground cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 cup butter

Batter:
5 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 T granulated sugar
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 cup milk
2 T melted butter
1 t vanilla extract
~2-3 T brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 425°F and combine apples, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a saucepan and cook for about 15 minutes or until apples are tender and fragrant.
2. While the apples bake, melt 1/4 cup butter in the oven in a large frying pan. Remove pan from oven and carefully swirl melted butter to coat all sides. Pour in the apple mixture.
3. Beat the eggs, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and vanilla until well mixed.
4. Pour egg mixture over the apples, sprinkle liberally with brown sugar, and bake for 15 minutes at 425°F; reduce heat to 350°F and cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Serve immediately! With ice cream, if you’d like 🙂
Makes 4 to 6 servings.

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