This dinner is the form of dessert was often on our table during the chilly winter my husband and I spent on the west coast of Ireland.
The Pancake
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons organic sugar
3 eggs
¾ milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup flour
The Apples
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tart apples peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons whisky or bourbon
Aged Cheddar or aged Gouda cheese thinly sliced
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a 10 inch cast iron skillet, brushing it once around the sides. Put the remaining pancake ingredients in a blender, add the melted butter, and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides once. Or mix everything together by hand. Let the batter rest while the oven heats. Melt the butter for the apples in the same skillet, sprinkle on the sugar, and then add the apples. Cook over high heat, flipping them in the pan occasionally until they begin to caramelize, after several minutes. Lower the heat once the apple slices begin to color, turning them with increasing frequency until they are richly caramelized. Raise the heat, add the whiskey, and bring careful to stand back a bit, tilt the pan so that it will flame and burn off. Pour the batter over the apples and bake until golden and puffed 20-30 minutes. Serve immediately from the pan with the cheese laid over the top.