When your business is breakfast, you’re bound to have some pretty amazing ideas. So when I needed a fantastic Christmas breakfast dish, I asked friends Doug and Margi Erickson, owners of the C.W. Worth House bed and breakfast in Wilmington, N.C., if they had one they’d be willing to share.
I tend to be drawn to savory breakfast dishes, and Margi and Doug have plenty of those, but what I really wanted was a sweet breakfast treat to feed the whole family. Of their Banana-Pecan Upside-Down Pancake, Doug says, “This is hands-down our guests’ favorite dish in the morning. [All you need is] a large old-fashioned cast-iron skillet to make it.”
So, with cast-iron skillet in hand, I got to work to see if this Banana-Pecan Upside-Down Pancake recipe was as easy as Doug promised. The result was flavorful and very easy. I hope you’ll try this tasty treat for your special holiday breakfast or when you need an impressive but easy breakfast dish.
In the meantime, if you’d like to visit the C.W. Worth House, check out www.worthhouse.com.
Banana-Pecan
Upside-Down Pancake
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup real maple syrup
3 to 4 bananas
2 cups Bisquick baking mix
1 cup low-fat milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In heavy cast-iron skillet (No. 8 or No. 10 size; see note) over low heat, melt butter. When melted, use a pastry brush to coat all the sides of the skillet with the butter. Then gently pour maple syrup into melted butter. Do not stir. Remove from heat and let cool.
Meanwhile, slice 3 to 4 bananas ½-inch thick and place evenly in one layer over the butter/syrup mixture to completely cover.
In medium bowl, mix baking mix, milk, eggs and vanilla. Immediately pour batter slowly over the banana-syrup combo in cast-iron skillet. Do not stir. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle pecans over batter and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until deep golden-brown.
Remove from oven and cool approximately 5 minutes. This lets the syrup/butter mixture soak into the pancake. Carefully invert onto large platter or rimmed cookie sheet and slice into 8 wedges. Serve immediately.
Makes 8 servings.
Note: Many old cast-iron skillets are marked with a number near the handle. This is the size of the skillet. Newer skillets may not have the number, or may be marked on the bottom.
This recipe is best in a skillet that measures 8 or 10 inches wide across the bottom.
Each serving has about 444 calories, 28 grams fat (10 grams saturated), 78 milligrams cholesterol, 6 grams protein, 59 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams dietary fiber, 488 milligrams sodium.
Alicia Ross is the co-author of three cookbooks. Contact her c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106, email tellus@kitchenscoop.com, or visit http://kitchenscoop.com.