Cherry Almond Dutch Baby Food

DUTCH BABY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Put a 10-inch cast iron skillet or oven-safe nonstick pan into the oven and heat for at least 5 minutes.
• In a blender, combine the eggs, flour, milk, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, the salt, and vanilla. Blend until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender jar as necessary, about 30 seconds.
• Open the oven door and drop the butter into the preheated skillet. Close the oven and allow the butter to melt, about 2 minutes (do not let it burn). Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and place an oven mitt or dishtowel over the handle to remind yourself that it's hot. Pour the batter into the buttered skillet and carefully place the skillet back into the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, until puffed and golden. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven (again, place an oven mitt or dishtowel over the handle to remind yourself that it's hot). Dust with confectioners' sugar and top with berries, if desired, then cut into wedges and serve with maple syrup.

VANILLA DUTCH BABY (PUFFED PANCAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Put the butter in a large, ovenproof, nonstick saute pan and place in the oven.
• Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the eggs, flour, warm milk, sugar, vanilla extract and pinch of salt, and blend on medium-high speed until uniform. (If mixing by hand, combine the eggs with the milk until the mixture is light yellow and no longer stringy, about 1 minute. Add the flour, sugar, vanilla, and pinch of salt, and whisk vigorously to remove the lumps, about 30 seconds.)
• Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven. The butter should be melted. Swirl the butter around the pan to coat completely, and then pour the remaining butter into the batter and pulse to blend. Pour the batter into the hot pan and return the pan to the oven. Cook until the pancake is puffed in the center and golden brown along the edges, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Using a spatula, remove the entire Dutch baby from the pan and place on a cooling rack for a few minutes to allow the steam to escape without condensing along the bottom and rendering the pancake soggy. Dust with confectioners' sugar when cooled slightly. Slice the pancake into 8 wedges on a serving platter or cutting board.

DUTCH BABY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Place 2 tablespoons of the melted butter into a 10-inch cast iron skillet and place in the oven. Set the remaining tablespoon of melted butter aside to cool slightly. Wait 10 minutes before assembling the other ingredients.
• Place the flour, vanilla sugar, salt, milk, eggs and remaining tablespoon of melted butter into the bowl of a food processor or blender and process for 30 seconds. Carefully pour the batter into the preheated skillet. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the edges are puffed and brown. Sprinkle with additional vanilla sugar and serve with lemon wedges.

CHERRY ALMOND DUTCH BABY

Steps:

• HEAT oven to 425°F Melt butter in 9-inch pie plate in the oven. Remove from oven. Brush butter over entire inside of plate.
• COMBINE milk, flour, eggs, sugar and almond extract in blender container. Process using several pulses to make a smooth batter. Pour batter into hot pie plate. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake 15 minutes.
• REDUCE heat to 350°F Bake 5 to 8 minutes longer or until golden brown. Remove from oven. Spread with cherry preserves. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.