Earlier this week, my husband introduced me to the Netflix show, "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee". In the show, Jerry Seinfeld meets up with his comedian friends in fancy cars and they get coffee together. The conversations they have are, not surprisingly, hilarious. But, I was more interested in the diners and cafes they go to for coffee. In one particular episode, Jerry asks Larry David to try a bite of a pancake for, presumably, the first time. And ever since I watched that episode, I couldn't get pancakes out of my head. I needed to eat a pancake immediately.
Yesterday, I had buttermilk pancakes for breakfast and Japanese pancakes for dinner. And still, my pancake craving was not satisfied. I woke up this morning thinking about a Dutch baby (also known as a "German pancake"). I've always wanted to order Dutch babies at restaurants but they usually have a long wait time, so I settle for a stack of regular pancakes instead. Making a Dutch baby on my own never even crossed my mind. I think it's because Dutch babies look intimidating to make, with their perfectly golden crusts caving up from the sides. There must be some secret to making Dutch babies that I'm just not privy to.
I decided to give it a go. The worst that could happen is that I make something that's pancake-like and I smother it in syrup and eat it anyway. What I discovered is that making a Dutch baby is even easier for me than making regular pancakes. I didn't have to worry about pouring precise ladles of batter on a griddle or watching each pancake like a hawk to make sure it didn't burn. Dutch babies are much simpler - I made the batter, poured it into the skillet, and left it in the oven for 20 min.
What resulted was a beautiful Dutch baby which to me, tasted like a cross between a crepe and a waffle. The only pancake thing about it was its shape. They're delicious paired with chopped fruit or simply powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup of almond milk
- 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons of sugar
- Dash of salt
- Dash of almond extract
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Drop the butter in an oven-safe skillet.
- Place the skillet in the oven while it's pre-heating. This will allow the butter to melt.
- While the oven warms up, put all the other ingredients (eggs, almond milk, flour, sugar, salt, and extract) in a blender.
- Blend for 30 seconds or until the batter is light and frothy.
- Check on the skillet to make sure the butter has completely melted.
- Once the butter has completely melted, take the skillet out of the oven.
- Carefully rotate the skillet with both hands so that the melted butter gradually covers the inner sides of the skillet. (This will keep the sides of the Dutch baby from burning.)
- Pour the batter into the skillet.
- Place the skillet in the oven at 425 degrees for 20-25 min.