Apple Pancake Lives!

DEAR SOS: The old Bistro Garden in Beverly Hills served a fabulous apple pancake. I would love to have it.

CAROL WALLACK

Chicago

DEAR CAROL: The new (relatively speaking) Bistro Garden at Coldwater in Studio City still has it. Here’s the recipe they provided for you and countless readers who admire this terrific dessert.

Bistro Garden German Apple Pancake

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 45 minutes

4 cups flour

Sugar

3 eggs, separated, plus 3 whole eggs

2 3/4 cups milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons butter

6 Granny Smith or Pippin apples, peeled, cored and cut into 6 wedges

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Sour cream, optional

Jam or marmalade, optional

* Mix flour, 3/4 cup sugar, egg yolks, eggs, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Let stand 15 minutes, then strain.

* Whip egg whites until stiff, then fold into flour mixture.

* Melt 1/4 cup butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple slices and cook until lightly softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

* Return 1/6 of apples to skillet. Add 1 tablespoon butter, then 1 1/4 cups batter. Cook over medium heat until brown on bottom, about 4 minutes. Turn over and cook 1 minute. Mix 1 cup sugar with 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar over pancake. Remove from pan, cut into wedges and keep warm.

* Repeat process for remaining pancakes, starting by returning 1/6 of apples to skillet, adding 1 tablespoon butter and 1 1/4 cups batter and cooking, until all pancakes are finished and no batter remains. Top each with extra cinnamon sugar.

* Serve warm pancakes with sour cream, jam or marmalade, if desired.

6 (10-inch) pancakes, 12 servings. Each serving: 401 calories; 158 mg sodium; 136 mg cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 61 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams protein; 0.46 gram fiber.