Father’s Day Recap: Dutch Baby in the House
June 17, 2012
As I mentioned previously, I celebrated Father’s Day a week early, and we did it in high style. Santa Maria made many offers to cook, some of which (such as the Butterscotch Brownies) I wasn’t consulted about, and some of which (Rib eye steak) were far too generous for me to accept. I had one request, though. Actually I had two requests. I wanted a Dutch Baby, and I wanted two of them—one to share with my girls, and one for myself.
The Dutch Baby is a wild breakfast treat that's so rich it’s almost a dessert. Santa Maria grew up eating them that way, and her mother called it a Hawaiian Pancake, and that name is not much of a stretch.
It starts with a lot of butter:
Then some eggs and some other ingredients (the full recipe is below) are mixed together, and it is put in the oven.
About fifteen or so minutes later, the pan starts bursting with flavor and excitement:
They look like this, fresh out of the oven:
But then it gets better. They are topped with powdered sugar and lemon juice, and then served with cherry jam.
It’s hard to keep your fingers off them!
Dutch Baby!!
Batter:
3 large eggs at room temperature 30 minutes
2/3 cup 1 % milk at room temperature
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter
Topping:
¼ c powdered sugar
½ lemon, juiced
Put a 10-inch cast-iron skillet on middle rack of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.
Beat eggs with a whisk until pale and frothy, then beat in milk, flour, nutmeg, and salt and continue to beat until smooth, about 1 minute more (batter will be thin).
Add butter to hot skillet and melt, swirling to coat. Add batter and immediately return skillet to oven. Bake until puffed and golden-brown, 18 to 25 minutes.
Serve immediately, topped with powdered sugar and lemon juice.
Serve with cherry jam. Mmmmmmmmm.