Weather: -24 degrees, sunrise at 10:08 a.m. – frigid, but so beautiful and clear
What I’m listening to: The Classic Christmas Album, Martina McBride
I spotted a pretty little one pound bag of Meyer lemons at our peninsula Fred Meyer store for $2.50, which is quite a deal up here in Alaska, where Meyer lemons can be hard to come by in general, let alone at a reasonable price. Plus, they’re early this year; I wasn’t expecting to see them until late January or February. I snatched up the bag and spent a good deal of that evening pondering what recipes I might make with them this year. Last year, I made Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Coffee Cake and Meyer Lemon Buttermilk Waffles. The year before, Meyer Lemon Pudding Cakes. Next, I’m thinking we’ll go savory, perhaps some pasta or seafood. But first, the Dutch Baby…
The batter comes together very easily, with just a quick whirl of all the ingredients in the blender (similar to my Swedish Pancakes recipe). Then you pour it into a cast iron skillet with melted butter on the bottom and bake it in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. When it comes out, it’s this marvelous puffed up, golden marvel, with pockets of melted butter on top. Good grief, Charlie Brown!
So then, top it with powdered sugar and Meyer lemon slices, and a generous squeeze of Meyer lemon juice all over. Finally, slice it and sit down to devour. The pancake deflates rapidly once removed from the oven, so it’s best served and enjoyed right away.
Meyer Lemon Dutch Baby Pancake
A golden, puffed up Dutch Baby Pancake with Meyer lemon and powdered sugar. Beautiful to serve for guests. Dutch Baby batter recipe adapted from [Simply Recipes|http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/dutch_baby/].
Yields: Serves 2-3
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg white
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon Meyer lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- powdered sugar and Meyer lemon wedges, for serving
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place 2 tablespoons of butter into a 10-12 inch cast iron skillet and place it into the oven for 8 minutes, allowing the butter to melt and the pan to preheat.
Meanwhile, melt the other 1 tablespoon of butter. To a blender, add the 1 tablespoon melted butter, eggs, egg white, milk, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, flour, and salt. Whirl until mixture becomes a smooth batter, about 30 seconds.
When the cast iron skillet is preheated and the butter is melted, carefully remove the hot pan from the oven and pour in the pancake batter. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until puffed up and golden. Remove the pan from the oven, and working quickly (as the pancake rapidly deflates) top with powdered sugar a generous squeeze of lemon, slice and serve with more powdered sugar and lemon wedges on the side.
