Omelette Fouree aux Pommes Dite a la Normandie (Apple Upside-Down Pancake)
Peel the apples, core them and cut into wedge-shaped slices. Melt a generous chunk of butter in a 10” cast iron skillet on the warming plate while you peel the apples. Add the apple slices, cook on the floor of the roasting oven for 10 minutes. Check apples for doneness – they should be nicely softened and even a little browned is nice. If not quite done, put back onto floor of roasting oven for another 5 minutes.
Remove from oven, sprinkle with sugar. Combine the vanilla, calvados and cinnamon and pour over apples – if not using the alcohol, just add the vanilla and cinnamon separately. Set aside to cool – not that critical to do this if you are in a hurry.
While the apples are finishing cooking, prepare the batter. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small mixing bowl. Pour milk into a measuring cup, add the egg yolks and beat together. Beat the egg whites until they start to stiffen. Gradually add 2 – 4 tablespoons of sugar and beat until stiff (we use the smaller amount for brunch and the larger amount for dessert).
Stir the milk-yolk mixture into the flour and beat to remove lumps. Fold gently into the stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour over the cooled apples in the skillet. Sprinkle with a small amount of sugar and bake about 15 minutes in the roasting oven on the rack on the lowest set of rungs, until lightly browned and puffed up nicely. (May need to place the cold shelf on the top runners for the first 10 minutes or so to keep the top from over-browning.)
To serve, loosen the soufflé pancake around the edges and invert onto a serving platter. The apples will be on top and the pancake on the bottom – it will fall, but still taste marvellous. Cut into wedges and serve with crème fraiche or thin custard sauce, if desired.
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