The Great American Slow Cooker Book by Bruce Weinstein Read Free Book Online Page B

problems are solved, you can use the slow cooker to make some pretty fine morning fare.
    That said, no recipe in this section is an overnighter; most take just a few hours. You can’t set up the cooker before bed—unless you’ve pulled an all-nighter and think you can power-nap your way into coherence while the coffee cake cooks. For the rest of us, we’ll have to plan on a later breakfast, which isn’t all that bad given that these recipes are perfect for weekend mornings. Head to the kitchen, toss together some simple ingredients, then go to your workout or the shower. By the time you’re back, the feast will be in sight. Or better yet, make a coffee cake the night before, have the first piece for dessert, then save the rest in the fridge for breakfast the next morning (and maybe for a snack that afternoon, too). A coffee cake’s not just for breakfast. Or what’s a heaven for?
dutch apple pancake
    EFFORT: A LITTLE • PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES • COOK TIME: 2½ TO 3 HOURS • KEEPS ON WARM: NO • SERVES: 4 TO 8
    2- TO 3½-QUART
    4 tblsp (½ stick) unsalted butter, plus additional for buttering the inside of the slow cooker
    ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
    3 medium apples, preferably Braeburn, Empire, Granny Smith, or Pippin, cored, peeled, and thinly sliced
    1 tsp ground cinnamon
    1 cup milk
    4 large eggs
    ¾ cup all-purpose flour
    ⅓ cup granulated sugar
    1 tsp vanilla extract
    ¼ tsp salt
    4- TO 5½-QUART
    6 tblsp (¾ stick) unsalted butter, plus additional for buttering the inside of the slow cooker
    ¾ cup plus 1 tblsp packed dark brown sugar
    4 large apples, preferably Braeburn, Empire, Granny Smith, or Pippin, cored, peeled, and thinly sliced
    1½ tsp ground cinnamon
    1¾ cups milk
    7 large eggs
    1 cup plus 2 tblsp all-purpose flour
    ½ cup plus 1 tblsp granulated sugar
    1½ tsp vanilla extract
    ¼ tsp salt
    6- TO 8-QUART
    8 tblsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus additional for buttering the inside of the slow cooker
    1 cup plus 2 tblsp packed dark brown sugar
    6 large apples, preferably Braeburn, Empire, Granny Smith, or Pippin, cored, peeled, and thinly sliced
    2 tsp ground cinnamon
    2½ cups milk
    10 large eggs
    2 cups all-purpose flour
    1 cup granulated sugar
    2½ tsp vanilla extract
    ½ tsp salt
    1 Generously butter the inside of the slow cooker.
    2 Melt the butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the brown sugar; stir until bubbling, about 1 minute. Add the apples and cinnamon. Cook until the apples have softened a bit, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Pour and scrape the apples into the cooker.
    3 In a large bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, flour, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt together until there are no lumps or pockets of dry flour in the mix. Pour over the apples.
    4 Cover and cook on low for 2½ hours to 3 hours, or until the cake has puffed and set, until it feels somewhat firm to the touch, and until a flatware knife inserted into the center comes out without any eggy liquid on it. (There may be some buttery, syrupy liquid on top of the cake, but the interior should be cooked.)
    TESTERS’ NOTES
    • Here’s a reinvention of the classic skillet breakfast using the slow cooker to keep the apples luscious. You won’t be able to turn the cake out onto a plate, as with the traditional recipe. Instead, scoop out the servings with a large spoon; make sure you get all the way to the bottom for all the apples, cake,
and
sauce.
    • The cake will be somewhat softer than the traditional “pancake,” since the moisture is kept inside the cooker as the pancake bakes. It’s no sweat really—just a more luxurious consistency. The apples will also rise to the top, with the custard-like cake on the bottom.
    ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW Buttering or greasing the inside of a slow cooker isn’t much of a chore. Save the wrapper from a stick of butter, then use the butter-coated side to grease the insert. Take care to butter the angle where the side meets the bottom. If you don’t have a butter