No grabbing a yogurt on your way out the door or picking up a breakfast sandwich on the way to work—weekends call for a sit-down breakfast you can linger over. But, even though it’s the weekend, the cooking can still be easy. And, if you want to have friends or family over for brunch, the batter for these scrumptious pancakes can easily be made the day before serving, which always helps when entertaining. The pancakes themselves can be made earlier the morning of and kept warm in the oven, too. And, suggests caterer and chef Serena Bass, who contributed this recipe to Real Food, as an alternative this recipe can be made into crepes by adding 1⁄2 cup whole milk to the batter and using the sauteÌed apples as filling.
Sour Cream Pancakes with Caramelized Apples
Makes 12 Servings
2 c. sour cream
4 extra-large eggs
1 medium lemon, microplane zested
3⁄4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3 tbsp. sugar
1 c. all-purpose flour
unsalted butter for pan
confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Put all ingredients in a deep bowl, and using a metal balloon whisk, stir through quickly until smooth but with a few little lumps. Batter can be refrigerated overnight.
Heat a griddle, brush with butter, and using a 1⁄4-cup measure, drop batter onto griddle. These pancakes are dense, so adjust heat so they cook through without burning. I start with medium-high heat until they have good color, then flip them and reduce heat to medium.
Serve immediately or keep warm in short stacks on a wide platter in a 250°F oven.
Scatter pancakes with Caramelized Apples (recipe below) and a dusting of confectioners’ sugar just before serving.
Caramelized Apples
Makes Enough Topping For 12 Pancakes
These apples can be made the night before and reheated in the oven. If you have any left over (don’t count on it!), they are delicious in a friseÌe salad or in oatmeal. When you cook these, if the heat isn’t high enough or the apples are cold, they will start to sweat and steam, and will never get golden at the edges.
3 tbsp. salted butter
3 Gala apples, at room temperature, cored and cut into wedges
pinch salt
Preheat oven to 250°F.
Heat a wide, ovenproof pan over low heat 3 minutes and add butter. Pan should be wide enough so apples don’t pile up as they will start steaming.
When butter has stopped sizzling, add apples and salt. Increase heat to medium-high, and sauteÌ apples until they are translucent and caramelized, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Transfer pan to oven until ready to use.
Nutrition info (per serving) Sour Cream Pancakes with Apples: Calories 190 (104 From Fat); Fat 12g (Sat. 6g); Chol 95mg; Sodium 335mg; Carb 17g; Fiber 1g; Protein 4g
