Traditions are huge in our family, and none more important than the Annual Birthday Breakfast in Bed Tradition.
This luxury began when I was young. My parents would knock on our door and wake us up, singing Happy Birthday and carrying a tray with eggs or pancakes adorned with whipped cream and maraschino cherry happy faces. Every Mothers Day, Fathers Day and birthday. So it seemed natural to continue this tradition with my own family.
Each family member gets their favorite breakfast delivered to them annually.
Me? I am partial to Eggs Benedict. Since I am gluten free, my husband has created his own personalized version of it for me; a perfectly poached egg placed delicately on a nice crispy hash brown and some imported prosciutto, topped with an extra lemony hollandaise sauce. Heaven.
The kids count down the days until their favorite breakfast. A puffed Apple Pancake. Nothing else. This light soufflé-like, oven-baked egg dish is full of fresh apples bathed in butter and brown sugar. It is similar to what is often referred to as a Dutch Baby or a German Apple Pancake.
Researching the actual orgin and history of this breakfast food will make your head spin. No one can agree exactly where or when or who created this masterpiece. The origin of my family recipe was from a diner in San Diego, California called Ricky’s Family Restaurant.
This little hole-in-the-wall breakfast joint was a “Must” for all our family vacations in San Diego when I was growing up. It’s one of those places that evokes so many memories and so much nostalgia when you walk in. You just know most of those waitresses were there when you were ten. I couldn’t wait to take my own family there.
Anyways, after the first visit or two, my parents went on a mad search to find that recipe. While my mom never re-created it exactly, she got pretty close. This is the Gershman-Wiesen version that has been served up for close to four decades. I hope you get to serve it to your own loved ones for many special occasions.
In the deep dish pie dish, melt the butter with the brown sugar and cinnamon.
While you wait for the butter and brown sugar to melt together, peel and core the apples. Then cut them into thin slices.
Add apples to pie dish and coat with butter and brown sugar mixture and return to oven for 10 minutes.
In blender add eggs, milk, flour, regular sugar, vanilla and salt. Blend until all mixed up.
Gently pour the egg mixture over the apples in the pan and return to oven for 20-25 minutes.
The sides should puff up like a soufflé and the center will be slightly firm.