Lemons: sweet, bright, happy little summertime fruit. It's funny that they got connected as a negative in such a well known idiom as "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade". I suppose it is referring to lemon's puckering sourness, but in my opinion lemons do not deserve such a bad rap!
Well when life handed me lemons recently, instead of lemonade (which Warren covered earlier this week), I made dutch babies, and topped them with a squeeze of organic lemon juice, and it was delicious! Dutch babies are great because they seem so fancy and special, but are really easy to make. That's my jam- fancy stuff that seems so Martha Stewart, but in reality is totally makable by any Joe Schmoe. I am a Joe Schmoe.
Not only is it easy to make, the ingredients are pretty basic too. For the pancake all you need is flour, eggs, milk, butter, salt and nutmeg. Then top it traditionally with butter, fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar, but syrup would be fine as well.
Start by choosing a pan, a cast iron skillet works great, but any kind of casserole dish will work fine. Preheat the oven and place dish inside.
Now start your batter by whipping the eggs, either by hand or in a stand mixer (I used my stand mixer, if you've got it, use it!), beat until light and fluffy. Then add in milk. Then gradually add in flour and hit it with a pinch of salt. sprinkle in a dash of nutmeg at the end.
Now your pan and oven a preheated, get the pan out carefully, turn oven down to lower temp and add butter to the pan. Carefully move the butter around in the pan until it is fully coated, bottom and sides. Now your ready to pour in your batter and bake for about 15 minutes. Didn't that seem easy?
The pancake puffs while baking, and falls shortly after removing from oven.
Then it's time to top with more butter, powdered sugar and a squeeze of a lemon and enjoy.
Dutch Babies
4 eggs
1 cup flour, sifted
1 cup milk, I used almond and it turned out fine
1 dash salt
1 pinch nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
powdered sugar for dusting
a couple lemon wedges
Preheat oven to 475 degrees, and place pan inside oven to preheat as well.
Beat eggs till light and fluffy, then stir in milk, then beat in flour gradually, dash in the salt and nutmeg.
Once pan and oven are hot, turn down temp to 425 degrees and carefully remove pan. Place the bitter inside the pan and with a hot pad, move the putter around in the pan completely coating the bottom and sides. Then pour in batter and return pan to oven.
Bake for 12-17 minutes or until golden brown and puffy.
Remove from oven and allow puff to fall. Then top with butter, powdered sugar and lemon juice.
Enjoy!
