Baked Apple Pancake Topsy Turvy

The number of droolworthy dishes coming from my kitchen this past week has been zero. I have had a cold all week, so, have not been up to creating anything interesting in the kitchen. That would explain my lack of usual enthusiasm for the blogging world. I have to catch up with all my favourite bloggers as well!! I usually manage to avoid all colds, etc. but this one latched on with a vengeance....the first one in 4 years. I haven't been doing too badly in the scheme of things I would say!

So now that I have my appetite back, what am I in the mood for? I am craving something sweet, but, healthy at the same time. It is breakfast time...the most important meal of the day...on the weekend. This apple pancake seems to go over well in my household...so one gigantic pancake it is... brimming with caramelized apples. This time I threw in some dried cranberries as well. I suppose you could use any dried fruit or combination of fresh fruits that you desired for an equally delicious start to your day!!

You can serve this pancake with a sprinkling of icing sugar, the tried-and-true maple syrup or why not try birch syrup??

Birch syrup is a rare taste treat. Living in Western Canada where maple trees are planted in the cities for aesthetics and are not indigenous to our forests they had to come up with something else for the sugar factor. In Alaska birch syrup is quite widely produced. Here in British Columbia I only just came across a company that produces it on their farm in Quesnel. You can locate them at their farm here in British Columbia.

Birch syrup ranges in color from light amber to dark reddish-brown, depending on the season of harvest. The lighter syrups are generally products of the earlier part of the season and are more subtle in flavor. Early season syrups accompany pancakes, waffles or crepes. Darker syrups, from later in the season, are more full-bodied. These syrups are used as a spice to flavor different foods, both savory and sweet. Both varieties of Birch Syrup have bold, piquant flavors similar to sorghum or horehound candy.

The birch tree yields in the range of 80-110 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. The predominant, naturally occurring sugar in birch syrup is fructose, as opposed to the maple which contains primarily sucrose. Fructose, due to its chemical structure, is more easily digested and assimilated by the human body. Fructose has the lowest glycemic index of all sugars and can therefore be the most suitable sugar for use, in small quantity, by diabetics. Birch syrup is high in vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, potassium, manganese, thiamine, and calcium.

Birch sap is collected in the spring, generally mid to late April, about two to three weeks before the leaves appear on the trees. Tapping the trees does not injure them as it will take only 10-15% of the total sap production of the tree. It is processed in much the same way as maple syrup is, using the same equipment. The sap is cooked down (evaporated) to about 67% sugar for syrup.

So...rise and shine!!!!!!

**Baked Apple Pancake**

Pancake:

1 cup flour
3 T sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 T oil

¼ cup butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 medium apple, peeled and thinly sliced

maple syrup
whipped cream
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In a bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in milk, egg and oil to combine.

In 8-inch oven-proof skillet, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and apple slices; sauté until sugar is dissolved. Pour batter over apple mixture. Cook uncovered, over medium heat until bubbles form on top of pancake.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 F for 12 – 17 minutes or until golden brown. Invert onto a serving platter. Serve with syrup and whipped cream.

Serves 1-4 depending on your appetite