Serves 4
Pancakes are a traditional American breakfast, but here we break tradition and opt for fiber-rich whole grains. These pancakes are also incidentally gluten-free for anyone with a wheat allergy or low tolerance to gluten. Grains are soaked overnight and then blended to a thin, smooth batter before being fried into a slender stack of hotcakes. These can be made ahead and frozen; simply pop one into a toaster for a quick and nutritious breakfast.
SUGGESTED VARIETIES: A strong-flavored apple is important for these pancakes. Try Idared, Honeycrisp, or Macoun.
½ cup steel-cut oats
½ cup quinoa, rinsed until water runs clear
½ cup applesauce
½ cup plain yogurt
½ cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan and serving
1 small apple, finely diced (about 1 cup)
Maple syrup, for serving
Put the oats, quinoa, applesauce, yogurt, and water in a blender. Mix and cover, placing in the fridge overnight to soak. In the morning, add the, sugar, salt, spices, eggs, baking powder, and melted butter; blend on low speed to incorporate, at least 1 minute.
Move the setting to puree or liquefy and blend for 1 to 2 minutes more, until the batter is smooth and there are no big lumps. Fold in diced apples.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
Place a large sauté pan over medium heat and add a pat of butter to the pan. When the butter is melted and the pan is hot, pour in batter by the ¼ cup, making as many pancakes you can without overcrowding the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the pancakes are golden brown and bubbles on the surface form and begin to pop. Flip the pancakes and cook the other side for another 3 to 4 minutes, until brown and cooked through.
Remove the pancakes from the pan and set aside on a plate; transfer to the warm oven until all the pancakes are cooked. Serve immediately, with syrup and butter if desired. Any leftover pancakes can be stacked and stored in the freezer in a plastic bag; place a piece of parchment between them to prevent sticking.
Cider was a very popular beverage when settlers first arrived in America from Europe, a tradition brought over from England and other countries. Cider was often made in order to preserve the harvest—fermenting apple juice extends its shelf life.
Today, cider apples are different from traditional eating apples in that they are cultivated for cider production. Cider, in this instance, refers to the low-alcohol beverage known as hard cider. Hard cider is made by fermenting apples and converting their sugars to alcohol, which is very similar to the process for making apple cider vinegar (see here).
Cider apples are categorized by their flavor components. Sweetness, acidity, and tannins are all weighted when making cider, resulting in a sorting system with cider apples labeled as sweet, sharp, bittersweet, or bittersharp. Most hard ciders are made with a combination of fruits, pulling from each of the flavor profiles. And while “sweets” are fine to eat, those considered “bittersweets” are off-putting due to their high tannin level and are guaranteed to make any mouth pucker.
Cider apples tend to be unsightly. They are hard, knobby fruits that are a far cry from the shiny smooth red apple more commonly available to consumers. Cider tree apple varieties are not sold commercially, and so the names of the apples will not sound familiar to most. Still, there are occasions when eating apples are used in cider. These come from orchard apples that will not make the grade to sell commercially. Since only fruits that look pretty are sold to consumers, small, blemished apples are sold at rock-bottom prices and used for apple juice and other products. For hard-cider makers, using this damaged fruit allows farmers to sell their ugly apples and charge a premium for the cider, thereby increasing a farm’s profit margin. A win for all.
Some farmers are beginning to bring fresh cider apples to market—keep your eye out for these! Cider apples make excellent cider vinegar apples, and some of the sweeter varieties can complement apple butter or pies.
Popular cider apples: GOLDEN RUSSET, GRAHAM SPY, BRAMLEY’S SEEDLING, ROYAL JERSEY, REINE DE POMMES.