(Vegetable or) Fruit Oven Pancake

Sometimes, on a lazy Saturday afternoon, you find yourself kind of hungry. Not super duper hungry (maybe because you went out for breakfast or had a late breakfast/lunch), but in the mood for a little something. And sometimes the weather is a bit cool, so you’re in your sweatpants just chilling with the dogs. Times like this call for brinner.

Brinner is breakfast for dinner, a time when you pull out the pancake or waffle recipes that are too time consuming for real breakfast in the morning because you’re too busy. But just perfect for late afternoons.

The Vegetable of Fruit Oven Pancake from Simply in Season is another extremely versatile recipe. For some reason it’s in the spring section (here’s a little secret: you can find variations in each of the seasons for the other seasons. So if it’s autumn, you’ll want to look at the spring and summer and winter recipes too).

Today, I was in the mood for an apple oven pancake. The recipes for fruit and vegetable are very similar.

They both start out with putting 1 T butter in a pie pan, and preheating it in the oven until the oven reaches 400 degrees.

The filling:

For a vegetable version: chop 2/3 C vegetables such as asparagus, leeks, broccoli, mushrooms, squash, whatever. You can also add fresh or dried herbs.

For a fruit version: thinly slice an apple or pear. When oven is preheated, prebake the apples on the bottom of the pie pan for 10 minutes (sprinkle a little cinnamon and brown sugar over top if desired).

Mix the batter. The base recipe is

• 3/4 C milk
• 2/3 C flour
• 2 eggs,
• 1/4 tsp salt.

For the fruit version add 2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon.  You can mix this either in a blender or with a whisk, until smooth.

Pour the batter over the filling and bake for 20-25 minutes.

The topping: For the fruit version, you can sprinkle powdered sugar over top. For the vegetable version, use cheese.

The verdict: The husband is out of town, so you’ll have t take my word for it.  I was planning to use some of the new local maple syrup I got at “our” farm . . . no need! Oh my word, it is so tasty and moist from the apples/butter/sugar. I don’t think I want to know the calorie count, although next week I’ll be including them with the recipes since the husband and I are going to get back on the diet wagon. Definitely a keeper!!!!