Emeril's Warm Peach Pancakes with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and a Drizzle of Warm Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

For the pancake:

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche
• 6 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter

For the peaches:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups peaches, peeled, cored and sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 pint vanilla ice cream
• 1 recipe caramel sauce, recipe follows
• Powdered sugar, for garnish
• Mint sprigs, for garnish

Directions

For the pancakes:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven.

In a large bowl mix together the milk and creme fraiche until smooth. Whisk in the eggs and lemon zest and whisk together until smooth. Add the flour, salt and the sugar and whisk until smooth. Remove the skillet from the oven and place on the stove over low heat. Add the butter to the skillet and swirl around the bottom of the pan until it is completely melted. Add the batter to the skillet and return to the oven and bake until pancake puffs up around the edges, 20 minutes.

For the peaches:

To a hot skillet, add butter and melt. Add peaches and saute for 3 minutes, until beginning to soften. Add brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg and cook another 2 minutes.

To Finish:

Remove pancake from the oven. Slide pancake onto a large plate. Top pancake with peaches. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and powdered sugar and mint.

Caramel Sauce:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup heavy cream

In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is a deep caramel color and has the consistency of a thin syrup, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cream, return the saucepan to the high heat, and boil the sauce until it regains the consistency of a thick syrup, about 2 minutes. Cool.

Yield: about 3/4 cup

Recipe adapted from Creole Christmas Cookbook, by Emeril Lagasse, with Marcelle Bienvenu, published by William Morrow, 1997