Dutch Babies with Vanilla Apricot Sauce
Tonight I was supposed to be cooking snails. Or spot prawns. Or rabbit. Or one of many other dishes that I can’t quite tell you about yet. What I can tell you is that there is a lot going on. And this recipe isn’t supposed to be one of them.
See, sometime back March, I started getting busy. So busy, in fact, that I didn’t want to say anything for fear that I would jinx it. Good things were happening… things like shooting photos for cookbooks and hearing back from clients that I hadn’t heard from in a while. And, now, I’m in the midst of shooting my third and fourth cookbook (only the photos are mine), I have a 3 page spread in the most recent Seattle Metropolitan Bride & Groom, loads of shots in the new Edible Seattle, and a bunch of new photos coming soon to Epicurious, to name a few. Oh, and did I tell you, I have to get all that done before the 25th? Because (drumroll please), we are going on vacation. A real vacation. An unbelievable vacation. Italy. For 5 weeks. Yes. 5 weeks. That’s 35 days. 840 hours. 50,400 minutes.
Anyway, I’ve spent the day shooting (with the help of my new friend and assistant, Claire Bloomberg ) to try to get cookbook #3 finished up before I turn into a zucca, and really should have been testing one of the other recipes this evening. But then it occurred to me that well, some of you still might be out there wondering what had happened to me and if I got swept away with the tumbleweeds that have been blowing around here. So, instead, I took a break. Which is to say, I cooked something and took photos of it for myself instead of someone else. And, for me, I decided to make a little breakfast for dinner. Or, perhaps a little desert for dinner, depending on how you look at it.
My mom used to make dutch babies, and we’d have them with freshly sliced peaches. This recipe, isn’t hers, but my guess is that it is pretty darn close. I found it on the Whole Foods website after 15 minute flipping through indexes of my cookbooks didn’t give me what I was looking for. The batter is about as simple as it gets… equal parts flour and milk with eggs, whipped smooth but not too fluffy. Poured into a cast iron skillet over melted butter and stuck into a hot oven and you have a show that is more entertaining than 90% of what is on TV these days. Seriously, I was so mesmerized watching the batter puff up… like someone was blowing into it in little spurts. Every few seconds, another quick puff. I even had to go grab my camera and take a shot of the magic… of course, like all good magic, it stops as soon as you try to record it. Or, in my case, as soon as I opened the oven door. Luckily, it was just about done puffing anyway.
You can top a dutch baby with any kind of fresh or stewed fruit. Or even just a little squeeze of lemon. But, I’ve been craving a vanilla apricot sauce since I had a vanilla apricot jam a few weeks ago. And, of course, it’s apricot season here in Seattle.
PS: I am so excited about our Italy trip and we already have probably more than 5 weeks of stuff to do… but I’d love to hear suggestions if you have them! We will mostly be in Umbria.
Dutch Baby Pancakes with Vanilla Apricot Sauce
This recipe makes a mini dutch baby, perfect for one for breakfast or two for dessert.
2 eggs
pinch of salt
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup milk
1 T unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 425F.
Whisk the eggs with the pinch of salt until they just begin to get a little fluffy. Gradually whisk in the milk and flour and continue to whisk until smooth.
Melt the butter in a 5-inch cast iron pan. Then, pour the egg mixture over the butter. Move the pan immediately to the hot oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until it puffs up over the edges of the pan and is a rich golden brown on the edges.
To serve, top with the vanilla apricot sauce and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
Vanilla Apricot Sauce
This sauce is fruity and light, but not very sweet. If you like yours a bit sweeter, you can add some sugar into the apricot sauce. It makes just enough for the mini dutch baby pancake.
4 apricots
1 vanilla bean
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup Sauterne or other dessert wine
Blanch the apricots and peel off the skins. Slice into quarters, discarding the pit.
Place in a small pot, on medium low heat, with the lemon juice and wine. Slice the vanilla bean open and scrape out some of the seeds into the pot. Then throw the whole bean into the pot. Give it a stir. Cook until the sauce thickens, but not so long that the pieces of apricot loose their shape. Remove the vanilla bean before serving.
My suggestion is that IF you come to Florence and IF you have the time, you contact me and we could have a coffee somewhere!
Wow! So very jealous! 5 weeks…that is the way to do vacation!
That is beautiful, and I’m so intriqued! I’ve never heard of such a thing? I wonder if a savory topping/filling would work? Hmmmmmm. Thanks so much for sharing (oh, and have fun in Italy! Man, I am jealous).
Damn – that looks good. Sorry I missed that one!
So happy for all the wonderful projects you are working on. It has been ages since I have had a Dutch Baby, this looks wonderful with the apricots. Italy, have a wonderful time, it is a beautiful country and 5 weeks will give you a chance to get to know Umbria.
beautiful !
Umbria is not so far away from Rome! Will you come to Rome? I would love to meet you guys!
Oh, congratulations on the new work… I am so happy for you.
And 5 weeks’ vacation?! Our honeymoon wasn’t even that long. How utterly luxurious — I’m green with envy!
Great photos as usual. I am so happy that things are taking off big time for you – you seriously deserve it. And an assistant? How big time is that!!!
As regards what to do in Italy: Eat, Drink, eat some more, drink some more. Oh, and work out a way to smuggle back all the great fruit.. Buy another suitcase to bring back enough olive oil for a year.
*Droooooooooooool*!!
I just LOVE dutch babies! The one in the Macrina Bakery cookbook is in our regular weekend rotation, which is mostly the same as yours but adds a touch of sugar and some vanilla extract to the batter. I’ve been using fresh fruit now that it’s summer, but I think I’ll have to try your apricot sauce next!
Tried it with the apricots I’d been meaning to use in a clafoutis. Oh. Man. This was delicious! The dutch baby tasted pretty much the same as what I think of as a German pancake — it was the best way to show off some gorgeous local eggs from our local Happy Chickens Farm because the flavor is so nice and eggy. The puffing happened in half the time I expected. It was so cool!
Thank you very much for this recipe. Have a smashing holiday!
Dutch babies are great, and still I haven’t made one in years! Thanks for reminding me…and have a great vacation in Italy.
I’ve never seen apricots so beautiful before. I’ll have to pull out my big cast iron’s for this. Actually I just got two new ones today that are a little smaller in size. Now i can make a couple batches of this!
Ummmm, Dutch Babies… Fabulous work on the new Edible Seattle…I want to crawl inside its pages with each new issue. Your writing and pictures open my eyes – first cherries, now apricots. Thanks
the color is just beautiful. i especially love the dutch pancake. great photos.
Dutch Babies rock!
So that’s what’s been missing from my life… dutch babies! They look awesome – I love how the batter forms an almost bowl shape, to hold the filling. I really must try this some time 🙂
those look wonderful…i make dutch babies and put apples on top, but never thought of apricots. delicious!
Jeez. I love Dutch baby pancakes! I never though to make one at home, we always order them at Walker Brothers. Deeelicious.
5 weeks in Italy? My naturally olive skin just turned about 5 shades greener. Where in Italy?
I’ve never heard of these before but we’ll definitely be trying them this weekend! Gorgeous photos too. It’s always a pleasure to visit 🙂
Dutch babies are my son’s favorite breakfast. I will have to try it with the sauce!
Confession: I had no idea what a Dutch baby was. Sounds and looks absolutely divine. Have a fantastic vacation!
Arrgh! I envy you! I just had a disastrous experience with canned apricot preserves this weekend and I wish I had stopped by your post first. Kudos, kudos, kudos!
These look wonderful – and I really like the idea of doing the mini dutch babies for breakfast.
Thanks,
Mary
Beautiful photos!
After drooling at your wonderful dutch babies, oh how I wish I wasn’t allergic to stone fruit! DDDDRRRROOOOLLLLL!!!!
Dutch babies also hold a place in my heart, as something I grew up eating for breakfast on slower mornings. I usually dusted them with powder sugar or poured maple syrup on top, but this apricot sauce sounds soooo good. Thanks for sharing!
I will try this great recipe tomorrow morning, I can’t wait!
Thanks for sharing this beautiful dish.
-Bettina J.