Pannekoeken - Dutch Puffy Pancakes

I love it when I serendipitously fall into delicious recipes. Last night, my husband graduated from his post-graduate training program. So, after years of schooling (high school, college, Ph.D. and now this specialty residency training), he'll finally be getting a real job! (In contrast to myself who is still five years away from that). We're not quite sure where that job is going to be yet, but we have lots of options out there and are looking forward to what the future will bring!

Anyway, last night at the graduation dinner, I was lamenting at the table how if we do move from Minnesota, I'll miss my favorite Dutch pancake house. It was here that I tried my first pannekoeken, and oh. my. god. it was amazing. It's kind of a dense/fluffy/optionally fruit-filled pancake. The bottom is dense, but the top, puffs up, and the butter and sugar crunchiness that occurs on the top is just ridiculously good. I always ordered mine with apples, which were just a delicious addition, although other fruit could be added to your liking! So, as I'm stating that I'm going to miss this restaurant, one of the wives at the table states that she has a recipe! Shut. up. Seriously? Yay!

I told her to please please please email it to me soon so I could try it. I got the forward from my husband this morning, and decided to put off going into work to make it. To my delight, this recipe tastes exactly like the pannekoekens in town. I even had my favorite Pink Lady apples around the apartment to add. It baked and puffed up beautifully. I smothered it in real maple syrup (collected and made by my husband) and sat down to devour it all.

Enjoy!

Pannekoeken

Yield: 1 Pannekoeken

2 Tablespoons butter

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

For apple pannekoeken:

one apple, thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 glass pie plate

1.) Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place pie plate into the oven with butter and allow butter to melt as the oven heats.

2.) As the butter is melting, in a small bowl, whisk together the eggs. Add the flour, milk, and salt and mix until just well-combined.

3.) Take the pie plate out of the oven. Butter should be melted. (If making apple pannekoeken, sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the butter. Then, arrange the apples around the bottom of the pan.) Pour the egg-flour batter into the pie pan (over the apples).

4.) Place the pie pan back into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. The pancake should puff and become golden.

5.) When finished baking, remove the pie plate from the oven and invert the pannekoeken onto plate for serving. Must serve immediately - and serve with real maple syrup.