Week 18 - Apple Cider Pancakes with Fruit Compote

So I'm a little behind with this blog.  A few weeks ago I came down with the flu and could barely muster up the energy to get up and make myself a pot of tea, so pancakes were out of the question.  Now that I'm feeling a bit better, I'm back at it with the pancake recipes and hopefully next weekend I'll be back to 100% and can make up for the missing week by whipping up two yummy recipes.  But for now, I'm just doing one this weekend.

With all the cold weather lately, I'm digging hot apple cider.  Plus, anything warm feels soothing to a sore throat.  So I decided to add this to pancakes and it turned out super yummy!  I topped the pancakes with an apple compote instead of using syrup and it was pretty darn good.  I used to think compote was something difficult to make and required a lot of time, but turns out it was quite simple.  I'll probably experiment with other types in the future.

My husband's only complaint with this recipe was that I didn't make enough of the compote.  So if you want lots of yummy apple goodness, I recommend doubling the recipe. Jó étvágyat!

Apple Cider Pancakes

Ingredients
3 eggs, separated
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 1/2 cups cider (or milk)
butter for the griddle

Directions
1. Combine the yolks, cider, and melted butter in a bowl and whisk well. Add all of the dry ingredients, and whisk till it’s nice and smooth.
2. Whisk the egg whites till they’re quite stiff and fold them into the batter.
3. Warm a frying pan or griddle. Put enough butter to coat it. When the butter is quite hot – just beginning to brown, add about 1/2 cup of batter. It should spread out all by itself. It’s important to makes sure the pan is hot enough, or the first pancake will stick. When the top of the pancake has lots of little holes in it, and looks slightly firmed up, flip it and cook the other side for a few minutes, till golden brown. The whole process will speed up as you go along.  Top with the apply compote (see recipe below).

Apple Compote
Ingredients
2-3 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped in to 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons brandy (I used pear brandy)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground connamon

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot.  Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender, about 30 minutes.