Puffed pear pancake with cinnamon-maple syrup

I wanted to try a new pancake this past weekend. I had a rapidly ripening pear that I needed to use up. I had never made a baked pancake before. 

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When I found this recipe, I knew I had to try it! It didn't come out picture perfect, but it tasted great. I'll definitely be using this recipe again with other fruits in the future. I'm looking forward to making this during peach season.

Puffed pear pancake
3 eggs
3/4 unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 medium ripe pear, thinly sliced
1-2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1-2 tablespoons butter
powdered sugar for dusting, optional

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Place a 12-inch cast iron (or other oven-proof skillet) in the oven to warm. In a small bowl, toss the pear slices with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, flour, milk, vanilla, and salt.

Remove (carefully!) the skillet from the oven and add the butter. Swirl it around until it melted and covering the bottom of the pan. Arrange the pears on the bottom and then pour in the batter. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until puffy and golden.

While it's baking, warm up some real maple syrup and add the remaining cinnamon mixture from the pear bowl to the syrup to make a warm cinnamon-maple syrup. Serve in wedges topped with the syrup and a dusting of powdered sugar, if desired.