As the days grow shorter, we’re spending most of our time getting ready for the winter season, harvesting the last of the tomatoes from the garden, canning peaches, scouting the fields and woods for signs of deer and turkeys, splitting and stacking wood and picking apples. Our walk-in cooler is filled with boxes and the sweet perfume of apples, “sweating”, waiting to be pressed into cider.
Maine is blessed with an abundance of apple trees, many planted generations ago by hardy immigrant homesteaders. Because apples are highly adaptive plants, the deer and birds have spread the trees into the fields and forests. And even though this had been a dry summer, trees with bright red and golden orbs line the roads, often with piles of fruit on the pavement.
The apple was an important component of early American colonists’ life, and no farm was complete without an apple orchard. When we first moved to Stonington to homestead, we started tending the 21 old and abandoned apple trees at Barbour Farm, some dating back to the mid 1800’s. We harvest the fruit, canning enough apple juice (24 gallons) to last us the year, plus putting up cases of hard or sparkling cider. Up until the Revolutionary War, water was considered hazardous, and Americans (including children!) enjoyed hard cider at every meal!
There are hundreds of varieties of apples, but four major categories. Firm-tart apples like Granny Smith, Rhode Island Greening and Northern Spy and firm-sweet apples like Golden Delicious and Pink Lady are best for baking. Tender-tart apples like McIntosh, Cortland and Macoun break down easily during cooking, and make a superb sauce. Tender-sweet apples, like Gala and Fuji, are delicious in salads and eaten out of hand.
Baking and cooking with apples reflects the culinary exchange and rich history of the immigrants that settled our country. One of our favorite dishes for breakfast or brunch is German Apple Pancake. Food historians trace the evolution of this type of popover pastry back to the 15th century inspired by the German pfannkuchen, a sweet, fluffy pancake. In the late 19th century and 20th century, restaurants and cookbooks started to recreate the culinary favorites of our immigrant ancestors, and the German Apple Pancake became a staple in many American diners and breakfast establishments.
My recipe for this delicious breakfast treat comes from a stained and dog- eared page in Anna Thomas’s the Vegetarian Epicure, dated 1972. A staple in our early marriage, this cookbook is filled with recipes that brought the art of vegetarian cooking to my just-starting-out-on-our-own kitchen. Cooking with Anna Thomas introduced us to good food without the expense of meat and processed ingredients and the delight of a meal with family and friends.
The development of many styles of cooking and eating here in the United States has created a wondrous opportunity to relish tasty and nutritious food every day. Good food like a German Apple Pancake, easy to prepare and a joy to eat, is a true celebration of the apple and life.
German Apple Pancake
Ingredients
Pancake
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter
Filling
- 1 lb tart, fresh apples peeled and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- ground cinnamon and nutmeg
For the Topping
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Assemble ingredients and tools. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- In the bowl of your blender, (or a medium bowl), beat together the eggs, milk and flour until smooth.
- Add 1 ½ tablespoons butter to a heavy, 12-inch skillet and heat in the oven until the butter is melted and bubbly. Pour in the batter and return to the pan to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes. The pancake should be light brown and crisp.
- Check the pancake frequently while baking, if it starts to puff up in large bubbles, piece it thoroughly with a skewer or fork
- While the pancake is baking, prepare the filling. Peel and thinly slice the apples.
- Sauté them lightly in ¼ cup of melted butter and add ¼ cup of sugar.
- Season to taste with ground cinnamon and nutmeg. The apples should be just tender, not mushy. About 10 minutes over medium heat should be plenty.
- When the pancake is ready, slide it onto an oval platter, pour the filling on one half, and fold over the other side.
- Pour a little melted butter on top and sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar.
- Slice into pieces crosswise.
