Time for a Recipe

I do recipes every once in a while at my home blog, so I figured,why not here? Everybody eats.

Apple Cream Cheese Pancakes



For decades now, or so it seems, it has been my assignment to produce Sunday breakfast for the family. Actually, it's kind of an honor, and I like doing it. But coming up with new things to serve, while still staying in the What Everyone Likes territory can be kind of challenging sometimes. Pancakes and waffles are the standard fare, but sometimes it's good to introduce some variety while still working with the tried and true. Here is something that has gone over very well with my family.

The pancakes are the same as what I always make. Here is the recipe I use:

3/4 cup of white whole wheat flour (King Arthur brand is really good) You can use regular whole wheat flour if you want, but I would reduce it to 1/2 cup instead and adjust the unbleached flour accordingly

1 3/4 cups of unbleached all purpose flour

Sift the flour. Really. I know it says "sifted" on the package, but sift the flour.

Add 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar

4 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

Stir up the dry ingredients

Beat two eggs. Don't be mean about it, just get them nicely, well, beaten.

Add two cups of either whole or 2 percent milk to the well beaten eggs. Then...

Add 2 tablespoons of canola oil

Stir up the wet ingredients and add to the dry stuff. Mix it up with a fork until the batter is pretty smooth, but not completely without lumps.

Smash up a couple of nice ripe bananas and add to the batter. Fold it in gently.

Heat up a griddle. I have a nice non-stick flat pan I use. Medium heat works for me. When the pan/griddle is hot I do a light smear of canola oil on a paper towel and rub it on the pan to make it very lightly greased.

With a big spoon, pour enough batter to make pancakes about six inches across.

Flip them when the edges begin to kind of pucker. Just pay attention and you'll know what I mean.

About a minute after flipping they will be ready. Put those on an oven safe plate in the oven set at about 210 degrees F and do the next batch.

That's the pancake part. Now here's what makes it kind of special.

Before you do the pancakes, thinly slice four apples. I like Granny Smith's for this, but last time I did it I only had Galas and they worked fine too. Don't peel them, you lose too much apple goodness when you peel them.

Put the apples slices in a nice sized pan, one that can accomodate four apples worth of slices with maybe just a little layering. Sprinkle a generous amount of brown sugar over the apples and then as many dashes of cinnamon as you like. Let them cook nice and slow over medium low heat. Add more sugar and cinnamon if you like. You want to cook them down to what I think we'll call apple pie consistency. Juicy and floppy and sweet and a bit tart.

All this is happening in the apple pan while you're making the pancakes.

When the pancakes and apples are ready, spread some whipped cream cheese on the top of one of the pancakes, spoon a generous amount of apple slices on top, spread a bit more cream cheese on the bottom of another pancake, put it on top of the apple slices, top the whole thing with a few more apple slices and maybe three or four banana slices, and repeat for all the pancakes you have. This recipe should give you about sixteen pancakes, or two stacks each for four people.

Real maple syrup warmed up and oh so yummy and you're ready to go.

Go Ye Forth and Do Likewise.