Blueberry Dutch Baby Pancake

I love baking in my skillet! I've recently discovered Dutch baby pancakes and have been itching to make one. I chose to use blueberries in mine, but you can improvise other berries or just omit the berries altogether. This dish is neat because as it bakes, the edges rise up and fall like a pizza crust! Dutch babies are nice for brunch or breakfast with friends and an easy option for early mornings.

You make these in a cast iron skillet, but a round baking dish will suffice.

You will need:
2 tbsp. butter
1 cup fresh blueberries (Frozen can be substituted)
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
2/3 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
OPTIONAL : Powdered sugar for dusting

To begin:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 400F.
2. Put the butter in the skillet and put the skillet in the oven while it's heating (2-3 minutes  or until butter is melted.) Remove the skillet and make sure the butter covers the bottom of the pan completely.
3. Evenly distribute the berries in the bottom of the skillet an set it aside for the moment.
4. In a mixing bowl combine the eggs, milk, flour, vanilla, and sugar. Sprinkle a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon in the mixture if so desired.
5. Pour the mixture over the blueberries in the skillet. If the berries get shuffled around in the pan, just use a spoon to redistribute them.
6. Bake the pancake for 20-25 minutes.
7. Allow it to cool a bit before dusting it with powdered sugar.

I really love Dutch babies and I think you will too! They have a warm flavour and fill your house with a lovely aroma. The variations of Dutch baby pancakes are endless, so it's fun to be creative with them! I served mine with fresh lemon curd and panna cotta (recipe soon to be posted!) I hope you enjoy this recipe and fall in love with Dutch baby pancakes. 

Happy Baking!

Fresh Lemon Curd

Love lemons as much I do? Wanna put them on everything you make? Whip up a batch of lemon curd and pour it on all your citrus-lacking food! It's fairly easy to make, as long as you remember patience is  the key.

You will need:
1 cup granulated sugar
Zest from 1 lemon
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
6 tbsp. butter (softened)
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1  1/2 tsp. vanilla

To start:
1. Put the lemon zest and sugar in a food processor together and finely mince them together. You may need to stop the processor and shuffle the mixture around to avoid clumpy lemon-sugar.
2. Next, thoroughly  cream together the butter, vanilla, egg & yolks, and lemon-sugar.
3. Now, stir the lemon juice into the creamy mixture. It won't want to combine and will look curdled, but this is normal.
4. Pour the mixture into a medium sauce pan and turn your stove to low heat. Constantly stir the pot until the mixture is smooth and consistent.
5. Next, turn up the heat to medium. Continue to stir as it thickens. Once it has thickened to a pudding-like consistency. Pour the curd into a jar or container and allow to cool completely before putting a lid on it or serving it.

After making fresh lemon curd for the first time, I've realized it's very important to make this on a regular basis. I used it with panna cotta and a blueberry Dutch baby pancake (recipes to be posted soon!), but you could use it for practically anything! It would be good in crepes or to serve with scones. Many people like to use lemon curd to top blueberry pies! If you love lemons, you don't really need a reason to make this! Just whip up a batch to keep in your fridge for whenever you get a citrus craving! I hope you found this recipe to be helpful and delicious!

Happy Cooking!