I dated a boy in college whose mother was of German ancestry. And she made this crazy delicious thing for holidays that she just called a German Pancake. I remember learning how to make it in their kitchen, then forgetting all about it for 10 years. I never saw a mention of the crazy, puffy, eggy dish anywhere until I bought Cook’s Country’s Best Country Recipes last year. This magazine has gotten insane rotation in our house over the past year because the recipes are just legendary (remember the Monkey Bread?!). So when I saw the recipe for “Dutch Baby Grows Up” I realized THIS was the German pancake! Apparently actually called a “Dutch Baby,” which is really a weird variation on Deutsch. So I made it weeks ago one Sunday morning when we were watching an F1 Grand Prix. It was yummy with honey and syrup and jam, but not quite as magical as I remembered from college. My tastes have changed since then, but it was still really fun to revisit.
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 tsp grated lemon zest and 2 Tbsp juice from 1 lemon
- 1 tp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups skim milk (full-fat makes it less crispy, according to the recipe)
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar