Dutch Baby

  Tom and I both love Dutchy Babies (puffed pancakes) but I've always thought they were a bit complicated to make. That's probably because when we order them at The Original Pancake House they always say to  allow an extra half hour. That's not because they're complicated; it's because they take about 25 minutes to bake.

 I looked at a number of recipes and settled on the one posted by the Food Network. Click here.

 I don't have a non-stick skillet that can be placed in an oven (they all have plastic in the handles). And yesterday I looked for one of Mom's cast iron skillets but couldn't find a one (I'll bet she got rid of them). But if they can go into cast iron, maybe the non-stick pan isn't necessary?

 I just used a 10" Corning pie plate. It's not as convenient as something with a handle but I figured it would do. I greased it lightly with Crisco. And, per the recipe, I melted the butter in it. I figured it'd be as non-stick as possible. It was.

  Every Dutch Boy I've seen has been different. The same goes for the pictures that are posted. They tend not to bake evenly. Mine developed a rise in the center (clearly a bubble) and the edge tore a bit when it was just about finished. But it locked fine just the same (in fact it looked homemade). The last one we got at the restaurant was close to burnt.

  I don't have a cooling rack but I took it out of the oven and sat it in the cool sink. That worked fine. The bottom wasn't a bit soggy.

 How was it? Delicious! We ate ours with lemon juice and I sliced a banana on each plate. Blueberries or strawberries would be nice with this. Traditionally the Dutch Baby is served with slices of lemon. It was baked perfectly: lightly browned around the top edges and with a center that was done that reminds me a bit of custard.

 While this is a breakfast food, we had it for lunch/