Shmancakes

Kevin uses Arrowhead Mills Multigrain Pancake & Waffle Mix to make his delicious shmancakes. He uses soy or rice milk in the recipe printed on the mix packet. He used to add yogurt and oat bran, also, and that made a delicious, very moist and tender pancake. Since realizing that dairy aggravates his joints, he’s been making a vegan ‘cake and using varying amounts of applesauce to substitute.

We usually just top them with a little butter and some real maple syrup, but sometimes we fancy them up. This pan-roasted fruit is delicious over shmancakes (or any other pancake).

Pan-roasted apples

(adapted from Tom Colicchio’s Craft of Cooking)

2 tbsp clarified butter (Kevin used ghee)
3 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into ½-in. rounds (our apples were more like galas)
1 cinnamon stick
½ vanilla bean
¼ cup sugar
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2/3 cup apple cider (or apple juice)

Work in batches. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Brush the pan with clarified butter and add 1 sliced apple ( the apple slices should fill the pan in a single layer). Add the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean. (Ed.- We couldn’t find either of these and so did without.) Sprinkle the apples with one third of the sugar and cook until the sugar melts, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add one third of the butter, and cook until the apple slices are golden on one side, 5 to 10 minutes. Flip the apples and cook until the second sides begin to color, 3 to 5 minutes more. Remove the apples from the pan and set aside on a plate in a warm place (the back of the stove or a low oven). Repeat, reusing the cinnamon and vanilla, until all the apples are cooked.

To serve, increase the heat to medium and deglaze the skillet with apple cider. Allow the cider to reduce to a syrup, about 5 minutes. Return the apples to the pan and warm them in the syrup. Serve immediately.

Colicchio gives another recipe just like it for peaches, and we have used the method on peaches, pears, and apples. I thought the deglaze would be thick enough to use as pancake syrup, but it took a little butter and maple syrup to bring it all together.

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