Apple Pancakes--A Quick Feast

When I started this blog I did not consider posting a recipe for such a basic dish as apple pancakes, thinking that no one would ever be interested in it. But the truth is, not chefs, but ordinary people like myself, with passion for cooking, browse through culinary blogs in search of new and appealing recipes that are also easy to make. I discovered that whatever seemed very familiar and almost too obvious to me, despite its simplicity, could be interesting and revealing to people that do not come from my culinary culture.

I was inspired to share this recipe by reading a recent Smitten Kitchen post about apple latkes, which got a huge response. I suppose that latkes have been exported outside Eastern Europe, by Jewish migrants. Latkes, in particular potato latkes, are staple food in Poland. We call them "placki", which can be translated into "latkes" or, more generally, "pancakes". However, Jewish latkes are typically drier inside and crispier than Polish "placki".

Polish pancakes are soft and quite thick. When they are still warm, they are slightly crispy, but as they get cooler they become more chewy. For apple pancakes, which are very popular in the fall and winter, we use pretty much the same batter that is used to make crepes, but add yeast, soda, or baking powder to the batter. In my version, I also add yogurt, kefir, or sour milk.

Apple pancakes are one of the simplest  sweet snacks. If you like sweet meals, you can serve them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or supper. Whatever you decide to make them for, kids will always love them. The whole preparation takes no more than five minutes. They taste great also when they are cold on the next day and my son likes them to have with a cup of chocolate milk for breakfast.

Apple Pancakes
(Makes about small 16 pancakes)

Ingredients:
1 cup flour,
1 egg,
1 1/2 cup yogurt, kefir, or sour milk,
pinch of salt,
1 medium apple Granny Smith or McIntosh,
vegetable oil for frying,
powdered sugar,
cinnamon, optional.

Preparation:
1. Put flour, baking powder, egg, yogurt, and salt into a bowl and mix well with a whisker until you obtain a smooth batter.
2. Peel off the apple and grate it on a large whole grater or cut into small thin slices. Incorporate them into the batter with a spatula.
3. Heat a large pan and cover the bottom evenly with oil.
4. When oil becomes hot, put dollops of batter and fry them for about 2-3 minute until they become gold.

5. Turn the pancakes over and fry on the other side. Transfer them on a plate covered with a sheet of paper towel to absorb the unnecessary oil.

6. Dust pancakes with powdered sugar, and cinnamon (optional) and serve warm.