Apple & Bacon Pancakes

Preparation

We like to finish these sweet-and-savory pancakes with a dusting of powdered sugar and appelstroop, a Dutch apple syrup, but you can also smear them with apple butter if you have some on hand. For a slightly sweeter pancake, add a pinch of cinnamon or vanilla sugar (vanille suiker) to your batter. For a true Dutch meal, serve these apple-and-bacon-studded pancakes alongside soup for dunking. 

1. In a large bowl, sift flour. Add milk, eggs, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until batter is smooth.
2. In a HexClad 12"/30cm Hybrid Fry Pan, cook bacon in two batches over medium-high heat until crispy, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Pour out bacon fat and reserve for another use; wipe out pan with paper towels. When bacon is cool enough to handle, break pieces in half crosswise.
3. Preheat oven to 175°F/79°C and place a heatproof platter or rimmed baking sheet in oven to keep warm. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in pan over medium-high heat. Pour 1/6 of batter (about ¾ cup) into pan. Arrange 3 pieces of bacon and some sliced apples on top of batter. Drizzle a little more batter over bacon and apples (this helps them stay in place while flipping). 
4. Cook pancake until golden brown underneath, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 minutes more. Transfer pancake to oven to keep warm and repeat with remaining butter, batter, bacon, and apples.
5. Dust the pancakes with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm with apple syrup on the side.

NOTE Appelstroop, or appelstroopen, is a rich apple syrup from the Netherlands. It can be found at some European specialty food shops or online at Dutchexpatshop.com.