Dutch Baby

I've posted a recipe for Dutch Apple Pancake, but I've still wanted to try out a more basic and traditional Dutch Pancake (German pfannkuchen) or "Dutch Baby"...large or small. This one, from Victor Manca, a Seattle restaurant ownder in the early 1900's, looked worth a try. 

This Dutch Baby recipe is very similar to German Pancakes, but without sugar and with more flour. This Dutch Baby is more pancake like, while the German Pancakes are egg-ier. Both are good!

Ingredients (for 6 servings - in a large skillet, paella pan, or similar)
½ C butter
6 eggs
1½ C flour
½ tsp salt
1½ C milk
For serving: nutmeg, powdered sugar, lemon wedges, honey...

Ingredients (for 2 servings - in a small skillet, about 9")
2 T + 2 tsp butter
2 eggs
½ C flour
dash salt
½ C milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 425° F. Put butter in skillet, oven safe fry pan, paella pan, etc. and place in oven.

While butter melts, whisk eggs with flour and salt; slowly add milk while continuing whisking, until batter is smooth. Remove pan from oven; pour in batter. Return pan to oven and bake 20-25 minutes until panckae is puffy and well browned around the edges, golden on top.

Serve immediately.  ...it deflates quickly, so truly serve it immediately if you want guests to see it at it's most puffy and beautiful!

The Dutch Baby recipe's traditional serving suggesting is dusted with nutmeg then powdered sugar, and served with lemon wedges and/or a drizzle of honey. I had lemon wedges, but I also had a jar of lemon curd to use up...thinned just slightly, it ws delicious!

Dutch Apple Pancake

I still want to fiddle with this recipe a bit. I made a single serving version (1/4 the recipe - pictured); I'm also not wild about the oat crumble in this recipe. I generally love a good crumble, and I saw some Dutch Apple Pancake recipes that included it, so I thought I'd try it that way. But I think I might prefer to just let the apples shine on their own. The crumble adds another dimension for sure, but in my opinion kind of weighs things down. With the whipped egg whites, I was anticipating a fluffier finished product.

Ingredients
6 eggs, separated
1 C milk
½ C heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
½ C flour
¹/₃ C sugar
¾ tsp salt
½ C rolled oats
½ C brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

½ C + 1 T butter
4 Granny Smith apples

Directions
Preheat oven to 375° F.

Combine egg yolks, milk, cream and vanilla in a bowl. Add flour, sugar and ½ teaspoon salt, stirring until well combined. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites into soft peaks. Gently fold in yolk and milk mixture. Set aside.

In a small bowl combine brown sugar, cinnamon and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, stirring to mix evenly. Add melted butter and mix into a crumble. Spread evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish, lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. (If you have a large, oven-safe skillet to bake Dutch Apple pancakes in...even better! But a glass baking dish works fine too.)

Peel, core and slice apples. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet; add apples, cooking over medium heat until softened and just beginning to carmelize. Spread apples evenly over crumble already in baking dish.

Gently pour egg mixture over apples. Bake approximately 35-40 minutes (more if your skillet is smaller and the pancakes are thicker, less if thinner...) until egdes are browned and center is only slightly jiggly, but not runny! -- Eggs should be cooked to 155° F.)

Invert to serve.

German Pancakes

The name can be a bit misleading...these are a lot more egg-y than pancakes, less like a bread. But very delicious!

1/2 C butter
1 1/2 C milk
3/4 C flour
1/3 C sugar
3 eggs
dash salt

Place a casserole dish in a 375° oven with the butter until it's melted and sizzling. In blender...mix all other ingredients, and blend until smooth. Pour into hot casserole, bake 20-30 minutes until edges are curled up and browned.


When you cut it, it will deflate a bit. Don't worry, that's normal and it's still delicious!

Traditionally, German pancakes are served with sweetened sour cream and fruit syrup or jelly...and/or fresh berries. Mix an 8 oz tub of sour cream with about a 1/4 C of brown sugar. (Use any leftover sour cream as a tasty fruit dip!)





For a quick large single or two person serving...
3 Tbls butter 
½ C milk 
¼ C flour
3 Tbls sugar
1 egg
pinch salt

I blend it in my mini-blender and bake it in a loaf pan.
 

Ratatouille

Ingredients
eggplant
tomato
zucchini
garlic cloves
olive oil
salt
pepper
parmesan cheese
(salami)

Directions
Arrange thinly sliced eggplant, tomato and zucchini in a deep casserole dish in laternating layers. Add crushed or minced garlic cloves between occasional layers; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper as you layer. Ratatoille is traditionally a peasant dish...which would typically be all vegetarian. Or...you can slip in a layer of salami somewhere in the middle. SLOW cook at a LOW temp (250°F) for 2 to 2½ hours.  Grate parmesan cheese over the top for the last 15 minutes.