My favorite thing about Pinterest is the whole new world of food that I have been exposed to. Until last year I was oblivious to the existence of Dutch baby pancakes. Now, not only do they appear regularly in our house, I have a whole Pinterest board devoted to them. Dutch babies are simple to throw together, with most of the work being done in the oven. Unfortunately The Princess and Mr Grumpy have also become huge fans, so dessert now needs to be divided into three equal pieces.
Dutch babies are derived from a German pancake recipe yet have nothing nothing to do with Holland. If Wikipedia is to be believed, then Dutch babies were popularised in Seattle around 1900, and are commonly served as a breakfast dish. Plain dutch babies are served with lemon juice, fruit sauce or any other favorite pancake topping. We have been eating this Dutch Baby for dessert, despite its surprisingly low sugar content. It is self-saucing, so all that is needed is a good dollop of thick cream to finish it off. It could also be eaten for breakfast, although to do so the cream should probably be replaced with yoghurt which is not quite so appealing.
Strawberries are in season at the moment. Whilst they are available year round in the shops, Western Australian strawberries are only in season from June to December. I usually wait until they start appearing at my local market before I indulge, and we have been eating gorgeous strawberries for about month now. I am a fan of fresh strawberries, especially if they come with a side of cream (are you seeing a theme here?), but I also like to bake or freeze strawberries when I have a glut.
Whilst strawberries and balsamic vinegar appear unlikely bedfellows, they are actually a match made in heaven. It is not uncommon to see the two paired on restaurant menus these days. The first time I served this combination to Mr Grumpy many years ago he was highly skeptical. He did come round to my point of view very quickly though once he tried them. You need to trust me on this. They really do work together.
Dutch babies look spectacular as they come out of the oven, all puffed up and glorious. Once they hit the cold air they start to deflate. Take a brief moment to admire your handiwork before this occurs and be assured that you have done nothing wrong. Thankfully the lack of puffiness does not affect the taste so tuck in. Now if only I didn’t have to share.
I have successfully made this with frozen strawberries, so freeze strawberries when in season so you can enjoy Dutch Babies all year round.
You will need a 20cm (8 inch) cast iron or stainless steel fry pan for this dish. Do not use a non-stick pan. Author: Tania @ The Cook's Pyjamas Serves: Makes 1 Ingredients
- 150g fresh or frozen strawberries, halved
- 2 -3 teaspoons golden caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 110g (2/3 cup & 2 Tablespoons) white spelt flour
- 2 large eggs
- 160ml (2/3 cup) milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan forced)
- Measure the flour into a medium bowl.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs together.
- Mix the milk and vanilla into the eggs.
- Make a well in the center of the flour and slowly pour the egg mixture into the flour, stirring the liquid into the flour to make a thin batter.
- Set the batter aside.
- Place the strawberries and butter into the fry pan. Sprinkle over the sugar and the balsamic vinegar.
- Place the fry pan over a medium heat and cook for 2-3 minutes until the juices start to release from the strawberries.
- Gently pour the batter over the strawberries and immediately place the fry pan in the oven.
- Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until the Dutch Baby is golden and puffy, and set in the middle.
- Serve immediately with lots of cream.
The balsamic vinegar leaves black streaks along the side of the Dutch baby. It is not burnt and tastes fine. Don't be scared. 3.2.2708
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