Jam Pancakes Flamed with Kirsch

Well it is officially October!  We took our annual trip to the State Fair of Texas yesterday.  We were there for about 9 hours.  It is so large that you just can't see everything in one day but, as always, we tried.  Needless to say, I was very tired and extremely sore from all of the walking.  And, of course, there is so much food!  October is a great month to try out all of the Oktoberfest recipes.  In my journey on the net, I ran across this unique recipe and wanted to share it with ya'll!

Jam Pancakes Flamed with Kirsch

Ingredients:
Filling
1 cup cherry preserves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon kirsch (clear cherry brandy)

Pancakes
3 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons corn oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup kirsch
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
Additional corn oil
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted


For filling:
Mix preserves, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon kirsch in small bowl.

For pancakes:
Combine first 7 ingredients, 1/4 cup sugar, and 3 tablespoons kirsch in blender. Blend until smooth. Add flour and blend until smooth. Let batter stand 1 hour.
Stir batter to blend. Lightly brush 7- to 8-inch-diameter nonstick skillet with oil; heat over medium heat. Using 3 tablespoons batter for each pancake, add batter to skillet and quickly tilt pan to coat bottom completely (pancake will be thin). Cook pancake until light golden on bottom, about 30 seconds. Turn pancake over and cook until bottom is pale golden, about 20 seconds. Transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing skillet lightly with oil before cooking each pancake and stacking pancakes on plate between sheets of waxed paper.
Butter 13x9x2-inch broilerproof baking dish. Place 1 pancake on work surface, pale side up. Spread scant 2 tablespoons filling over half of pancake. Fold other half of pancake over filling, then fold in half again, forming triangle. Repeat with 7 more pancakes and remaining filling. Arrange pancakes in prepared baking dish. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before continuing.)
Preheat broiler. Drizzle melted butter over pancakes; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Broil just until edges of pancakes are brown, about 2 minutes.
Warm remaining 1/3 cup kirsch in small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat. Using long match, carefully ignite kirsch; pour over pancakes. Divide pancakes among 4 plates. Sprinkle with almonds and serve.


As always, if you try this recipe, let me know how you liked it!