Uncle Mat’s Christmas Breakfast

Greetings foodies! I am so excited to be able to post this recipe. It’s really called a Dutch Apple Pancake, but I changed the name at my house in honor of my little brother. The recipe is from a wonderful little cookbook my brother gave me for Christmas waaaaaaaaaay back when I was in college. The cookbook, Hallmark’s Celebrate The Four Seasons Cookbook, Volume IV, has been used so much over the years that it’s starting to fall apart! Yes, this little gem is chock full of awesomeness. Are you wondering WHY my brother would give me a cookbook for Christmas? I mean,  isn’t that a close-relation to the “Nothing That Plugs In” rule? Ha! In our house growing up, there weren’t any Christmas candies, cookies or desserts as our mother hated baking. Her standard answer was that nothing ever turned out properly so she just assumed it was some kind of secret skill she lacked. Turns out what she lacked were measuring cups and spoons. Seriously. By the time I got into high school, I had taken a Home Economic Cooking class and had a pretty good idea what a tablespoon, teaspoon, measuring cup looked like and I wanted Christmas treats, by golly! Before you could say “Ho Ho Ho!”, I was the designated baker….much to the delight of my younger siblings. So, when my youngest brother saw the pictures inside this cookbook, it was a pretty easy jump for him to conclude that I REALLY needed this for Christmas! 😉  As a result, I renamed this recipe in honor of my brother. The original recipe calls for apples sauteed in pan with butter and sugar. In the photos I posted, I decided to use a can of Oregon Fruit Products 15- oz. can of blackberries. NOMNOM!

Uncle Mat’s Dutch Baby Makes one large skillet full of goodness 🙂

Pancake:
4 eggs
3/4 cup milk (Can use rice or almond milk)
3/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter

Filling:
1 15-oz. canned blackberries in light syrup
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 orange, juiced (about 1/2 cup fresh orange juice)
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, salt and sugar. The mix will be slightly lumpy.

Put a large (12″) cast iron skillet over a hot flame. When the pan is moderately hot, add the butter and swirl it around in the pan to coat the bottom evenly. Pour the batter into the pan and place it directly into the preheated oven. Cook for 10 minutes at 425 degrees, then turn down the heat to 325 degrees and finish cooking till the edges are browned and slightly crispy.

Meanwhile, place the contents of the can of blackberries and the orange juice directly into a medium saucepan. In a small bowl combine the sugar, cardamom and cornstarch. Using a fork, blend together until the mix is thoroughly combined. Add this cornstarch-sugar mix directly into the saucepan with the cold liquid ingredients. Gently stir to combine. NOTE: Combining the dry ingredients while the liquids are cold will prevent lumps! After the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the wet, place the saucepan over a medium flame and heat gently stirring to prevent any lumps. Be gentle so you don’t break up the berries too badly. After approximately 5- 6 minutes, the mixture should start to bubble and turn clear with a “gelled” texture. Cook for an additional minute or two to be sure the cornstarch has been thoroughly cooked into the mixture.

When the pancake has slightly browned, pull it out of the oven and pour the berry mixture on top. Cut into wedges and serve. Yes, this would be good with sweetened whipped cream! lol I apologize for the steam coming off the sauce in the picture below….but you get the idea!

If you want to use fresh apples, cut up 4 to 5 large apples into thin-ish slices. Squeeze a couple tablespoons of lemon juice over them so they don’t brown. The tart lemon juice has the added benefit of balancing the sweetness of the apples. Drop a couple of tablespoons of butter into a heavy skillet. Add the sliced apples, 2/3 cup of sugar and a shake of cinnamon and nutmeg and saute over a medium flame till juicy and slightly caramelized. Pour into the Dutch Baby when it comes out of the oven and serve. Mmmmmmm, good!