the pragmatic chef™

I decided to make a half batch of the recipe below, which yielded a quite thin but delicious pancake. I expect the full size recipe wouldn't rise much more than mine did, but will give you a more substantial pancake. This recipe suggested nectarines and blackberries, but I opted to throw together a quick apple compote, which I'll post separately.

This is really good, and I'm happy to add it to my regular breakfast rotation. The recipe recommends using a mixer, but I put it together in a work bowl. You don't want to overmix pancake batter anyway, and I hate cleaning up more crap than I have to, especially on a weekend. Try this, and please let me know if you do! It would be great with some Havarti cheese, if you wanted to make it more Dutch.

Dutch Baby (From The Best of Waffles & Pancakes, by Jane Stacey)

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Sliced fresh nectarines and black berries, for topping.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put the butter in a 9-inch pie pan and place it in the oven to melt.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, milk, eggs, and salt. Using an electric mixer set at medium-high, beat the mixture fro 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or until smooth. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully swirl to evenly coat the bottom with the butter. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the edges have risen and are crisp and golden brown, and the center is set but still soft.

Remove the pan from the oven and dust with confectioners' sugar. Cut the pancake into wedges, top with nectarines and black berries, and serve immediately.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Approximate values per serving: 131 calories, 5 g fat, 62 mg cholesterol, 18 g carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 5 g protein, 130 mg sodium, 31 percent calories from fat.

It's important to get the butter melted in the pan before you add the batter, because the eggs provide the leavening, like a Yorkshire pudding, and if the pan isn't hot, the structure of the batter will form before the eggs can inflate. And definitely serve this immediately, especially if you want to top it as I did, because it will deflate quickly. Look how high it had risen at one point: