February 27, 2008

Double Dutch Baby

I'm not really one for most breakfast foods. But the following recipe, adapted freely from The Joy of Cooking, has been in heavy rotation at our house for the last two weeks. Inspired by our fresh eggs and a bag of frozen organic Maine blueberries, my version of Dutch Baby is pretty loose and can be altered at will.

Dutch Baby, or "Oven Pancake"
Serves two adults and one child in our house

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place a standard 9" (or so) cast iron pan in the oven to preheat.

Measure 1/2 cup milk into a quart liquid measuring cup. Add 2 eggs, a dash of vanilla, and beat until well-mixed. Add 1/2 cup flour and about 3 T sugar (this is less than the Joy recipe, you can add more if you have a sweet tooth), and a pinch of salt. Beat with a whisk or fork until smooth.

Add 4 T unsalted butter to your pre-heated pan in the oven. Watch to make sure the butter doesn't burn. When butter is melted, remove from oven and pour in egg/flour/milk/sugar mixture. Sprinkle with about 3 T frozen blueberries. Add a light dusting of nutmeg and cinnamon, if desired. Return the pan to the hot (425) oven, and bake 12-15 minutes, until puffy and golden. Serve immediately.

Now, if you plan correctly, you only have to dirty a few dishes to prepare this (I never measure the blueberries, for example), and it is a great way to use eggs (for those of us who always have a few on hand). Possible variations include substituting finely diced apple for the blueberries (omit the nutmeg, add ground cloves?), and splitting the flour with half whole wheat and half white. The result is a lovely, sophisticated yet simple breakfast that can be cranked out in under 20 minutes. It has a wonderful crepe-like eggy texture, without an eggy flavor, and a buttery, crisp bottom crust. Real food for both parents and children.

Oh, and the recipe doubles easily. Just use a pyrex casserole pan (9"x 12").

1 comment:

Blue Yonder said...

mmmm this sounds so yummy!

Thanks for passing it along!