Saturday, October 18, 2014

Orange-Scented Apple Pancakes with Cinnamon and Walnuts



If I've ever been missing in action this long before, I can't remember when.  I hope you forgive me. I'm just about back in the swing of a new kitchen and will trot out a whole post on the process soon!


Through the construction practice, suffice it to say that most everything in the house seemed to be piled up in the wrong spot.  For instance, the clothes drying rack was in my bedroom.  My serving platters and baskets are still in my closet.  China and silver, as well as a big container of utensils, are still somewhere undetermined.  In a mislabeled box in the garage?  Lest I sound ungrateful, I'll own that I'm CRAZY about my new kitchen.  I just would never and I repeat never go through getting one again.  Waiting to exhale.  In the meantime, life goes on:  work, laundry, dog-walking, etc.  The kitchen waits for no one.  It's nearly totally functional!

I have a new job cooking at Shouse Appliance---showing off lovely things like the entire Jenn-Air line and DACOR ranges, wall ovens, grills, steam ovens, and so on.   I work three Saturdays a month and cook up dishes that are seasonal as well as foods that give a very real experience of the appliances. This week I thought I'd cook apple pancakes among other things.  Until I made them at home.  While incredibly luscious, they wouldn't give the best impression of the DACOR grill.  There's too much lag time in between customers and the griddle would be hot, warm, cooler, cold--which is exactly what we do NOT want for pancakes. We want hot, hot.  The pancakes themselves would get done and sit cold waiting for the next lady shopping for a new range to show up.  You know how you almost always throw away the first pancakes? I'd be doing that all day.  The more I thought about it, the more I nixed the idea and went with a grilled chicken-apple-cheddar panini.  Instead, I'm giving them to you....

When my kids were at home,  I made a plethora of pancakes.  Banana.  Apple.  Pecan.  Cranberry.   You name it.  I never wrote down a thing.  Geez.  So this time, I had to cook, write, test, and eat all at the same time.  Here's what I came up with.  If you do not want to make pancakes from scratch (and WHY NOT?), you can buy your Krusteaz and add the apple, orange, and cinnamon.  Use the 1 tablespoon of butter for your griddle.  It'll be lovely and a very happy Saturday.  Cook on!

Orange-Scented Apple Pancakes with Cinnamon and Walnuts
I usually throw out the first one or two pancakes.  You?   
  • 1/2 cup grated apple with peel
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter, divided (3 T melted for batter, 1 T for griddle or pan)
    • 1 cup milk
    • 1 egg 
    • 1 cup unbleached, white all-purpose flour
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon*
    • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
    • 1/4 cup warmed maple syrup (do this in a pitcher in the microwave)
    1. Place the grated apple in a double layer of paper or cloth towel and squeeze dry over sink.  Stir the apple and orange rind together in a small bowl and set aside.
    2. Preheat griddle over medium-high heat.
    3. In a medium bowl or 4-cup mixing cup, mix together the 3 tablespoons melted butter with the cold milk.  Beat in the egg very well.
    4. In another bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add to the milk mixture and stir until just barely mixed. Do not over mix.
    5. Grease griddle with butter. The griddle is ready if you flick a few drops of water on it and they sizzle and jump.  Pour 1/4 cup pancake batter onto hot griddle for each pancake and top evenly with 2 teaspoons of the apple-orange rind mixture.  Let cook until bubbles form all over the cake and the bottom is quite brown. Turn and cook briefly on the other side until done.
    6. Serve hot with warm maple syrup and garnished with chopped walnuts.  Makes about 5 or 6 pancakes, depending on how big you make them.  Save some for tomorrow or roll them up with peanut butter and take them for lunch on Monday.  This recipe doubles easily if you have company.

    *If you think you'd like more cinnamon, you might try sprinkling a bit extra on a single pancake just to see and then next time double the cinnamon in the batter.





     Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
    Alyce

    Just a very sad note.  If you don't read my other blog (moretimeatthetable.com), you might not have read that our sweet Miss Gab (golden retriever, age 6) died suddenly a few weeks ago.  The vet thinks she picked up some meth that someone dropped in our neighborhood.  Our hearts are broken and we look and listen for her so often....  I wrote a post about it and you can read it here.  Thanks.