Dutch Babies and Sautéed Apples — Olives and Tomatoes

I am home now. With the fear of this sounding too much like a diary, I'll do my best to keep most of my emotions away from this particular platform. It would be a lie, however, to say that it has been an easy adjustment coming home. I still have a full suitcase in my bedroom because once I unpack it, I'll have to face the fact that I actually am back. As it is now, I feel I could zip it closed and hop on a plane back to London. It has been undeniably heartbreaking to return to a less than perfect life; having to face stresses I had blissfuly escaped while away. As I struggle with not feeling at home in the place I live, I will give a recipe today that originated in a place I felt most at home.

Everyone called my great grandmother Bama. Being the matriarch, her house was the center of family life and I lived there with my mom and sister for a few years following my parents divorce. Bama and I usually ate breakfast together, being the only two awake before sunrise, but on weekends my mom and sister would join for something more extravagant. Usually it was buttermilk pancakes but sometimes someone would suggest "Dutch babies". The name puzzled me and, before I had actually tasted one, I seriously considered that we might be eating Dutch children but hoped it must be one of the many mysteries of adult conversation.

A Dutch baby is (thankfully) a big, puffy, eggy pancake that is baked in the oven. Like biscuits or pancakes, Dutch babies only require eggs, milk, and few pantry items. They are incredibly easy to make, delicious, and very impressive, especially in the moment you pull a giant puffy pancake out of your oven.

When I was little I thought Dutch babies were something only my family knew about. The recipe was handwritten on a batter stained and aged notecard- a notecard that would inevitably go missing whenever Bama wanted to make them and we would end up tearing the kitchen apart looking for it. I was under the impression that this was the only place the recipe was written down. Years later, I had Dutch babies at my friend, Lily's, house and was amazed to find that other people knew about them too. It turns out that the recipe is in The Joy of Cooking but even still the recipe remains elusive. Just like how Bama could never find that notecard, I can never find the recipe in that book. I'm told it's in there; you can google "the Joy of Cooking recipe for Dutch babies" and you will find it. I've seen it with my own eyes in other people's books. The only conclusion I can come to is that my specific edition of the book doesn't include this recipe.

The recipe I will give here is very similar the one in The Joy of Cooking but contains a little less sugar. Being a lifelong critic of things that are too sweet, I experimented briefly with not sweetening the batter at all. I have found, however, that adding sugar to the batter improves, not only the taste, but the texture of the finished product; making your dutch baby lighter, chewier, and caramelized around the edges.

I've tried several versions of Dutch babies over the years and find that these are perfect; puffy but not too thick, stretchy but not tough, and just the right amount of sweet. You can top these with almost anything you like. I often go for fresh squeezed lemon juice, sugar, and fresh fruit if I have it. Cooked fruit is incredible too: a berry compote or roasted peaches. As we go into fall and winter, when most fruit isn't in season, I make sautéed apples to top my Dutch babies with and still sprinkle a little sugar and lemon if I feel the need.

Sautéed apples are like the better version of pie filling; sweet but a bit tart, warm, and delicious. They are also an incredible topping for vanilla ice cream (or even yogurt) as a quick and easy dessert (or breakfast)

Dutch Baby

Serves 2

Total time: 25 minutes, active time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 heaping Tbsp granulated sugar

2 Tbsp butter

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

When the oven has preheated, place one large or two small cast iron skillets (pyrex pie pans or aluminum cake pans work too) in the oven.

Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and sugar in a medium mixing bowl until combined. Add the flour and whisk until the mixture is completely smooth. Don't be afraid to over mix it.

Take your baking dish(es) out of the oven and place on the stove top or another heat safe surface. Place 2 tbsp butter in the dish. It should be hot enough that it melts and sizzles immediately. Pour the batter into the pan and place back in the oven.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the dutch baby is lightly browned and very puffy.

When you remove it from the oven it will begin to fall and lose its puffiness immediately. If you want to impress your friends make sure they are close by.

Serve immediately with toppings of your choice.

Sautéed Apples

I like to use Granny Smith when I have them, but I'll use anything I have (usually Honey Crisp or Pink Lady). Keep in mind some apples cook better than others, all the ones I have listed here cook wonderfully. Balance the sweetness with lemon juice as necessary. If you're going to make these with Dutch babies, I would start cooking the apples before you start making the batter so they are done and ready to go when the Dutch baby comes out of the oven.

Serves 2

Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

1 apple, cut into cubes

1-2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

2-3 Tbsp butter

The juice of 1/4-1/2 of a lemon

A pinch of salt

Method:

Heat a sauté pan or cast iron skillet to medium heat.

Place half the butter in the pan and allow it to melt before adding your cubed apples. Sprinkle in sugar, cinnamon, and salt and squeeze the lemon juice over the apples. Don't stir them too much as they first start to cook as you want to get them a bit browned.

After a few minutes, start stirring occasionally, trying to flip the apples over to get them browned on all sides. When the mixtures starts to look a bit dry, add the remaining butter. When they are done they will be soft and caramelized but still retaining their shape.