German Pancake with Caramelized Apples or Pears
Plus a note on the uses of astringent pears.
Ever since I discovered this German Apple Pancake a few months ago, I’ve been making and experimenting with it every few days. The version I’m going to share with you here is just a little different: it uses half the butter, and I dice the fruit so that it caramelizes more evenly in the pan.
Astringent Pears
First, I want to share with you what I’ve learned about some of those obscure varieties of pears you may run across. I became familiar with some of them when I joined a CSA at the Home Orchard Education Center a few years ago. Included in the CSA were many varieties of pears that I had no idea what to do with. I waited patiently for them to ripen, but when they did, they struck me as way too astringent to eat. The director informed me that she thought some folks (including her) were just more sensitive to astringency in some pears, so, they all ended up in the compost pile. Bummer.
Fast forward a few years… In my now volunteer role at the same orchard, I was tasked with filling out a spreadsheet with everything useful to know about the individual pear and apple cultivars that are in the orchard. One of my resources was The Book of Pears: The Definitive History and Guide to Over 500 varieties. Sadly, there wasn’t too much information about the cultivars in the orchard, but it did have a huge revelation for me: astringent pears are widely used in Europe as cooking pears, much as sour apples are used as cooking apples in the States.
Aha. So that’s the purpose of all of those astringent pears I threw out.
This year, I’ve had a chance to try quite a few of them again. If they are astringent raw, I’ve tried cooking with them, and each time the result turns out excellent. So far, I’ve made German Pancake with Madame Andre Leroy and Vicar of Wakefield. Also I made a Pandowdy with the variety Bon Chretien d’Ete which was outstanding. Note that each of these pear varieties are disgusting to eat raw.
I’d go so far as to say I prefer astringent varieties of pears for cooking to apples - the dishes are that good. Even my picky son, who does not eat cooked fruit in anything will eat this pancake with pears.
German Pancake with Caramelized Apples or Pears
Start by heating an oven safe skillet (cast iron if you’ve got it) over medium low. Preheat the oven to 425.
Peel and then dice enough pear or apple to coat the bottom of the skillet in a single layer (approx one large/2 med). Add two tablespoons of butter, two tablespoons sugar, a pinch of salt.
Meanwhile, mix the batter. This is easiest to do in a food processor or blender, but you can do it by hand if you need to. Thoroughly mix: 3 large eggs, 1/2 cup milk, a dab of vanilla, a large pinch of salt. Then add 1/2 cup flour, mix only until combined (don’t over mix or you will develop the gluten). Set aside until the pear/apple mix is done caramelizing.
The pear/apples will start releasing juice.
While reducing the juice, you will want to give it a stir every few minutes. This is easiest to do with a cheap offset spatula from a restaurant supply store. After each stir, flatten the fruit back down to a single layer to ensure even cooking.
Continue cooking until the juice reduces significantly and the pear/apples brown a little. At least ten minutes.
When the apples are cooked, off the heat, and then pour in the batter. Put the skillet in the oven, and check after 5 minutes or so to see if it is done. The pancake is done when the batter is set. You can leave it in the oven to brown it further, or if you’re like me and prefer egg dishes *not* brown, take it out as soon as the batter is solid.
Then dust with powdered sugar if you like, and serve. Enjoy!
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