You’ve heard of “breakfast for dinner.” (If not, be sure to check out my last post, Shakshuka, and see just how scrumptious it can be.) As good as that is, I now bring you the Dutch Baby, also known as “Breakfast for Dessert!”
A Dutch baby is basically another version of a pancake, so it is often served at breakfast or brunch. A little fruit baked into a puffy pastry that is crispy around the edges and tender in the middle, it has enough pie vibe to transport it to dessert. Just sweet enough. It doesn’t matter when you eat it, what’s important is that you eat it.
This recipe, from Martha Stewart, has just the right amount of sweetness, together with the beautifully fragrant and autumnal flavor of cardamom that it is practically addicting. So delicious. And so easy to prepare. The keys here are to 1) preheat the cast-iron skillet to crisp the pancake crust, and 2) prepare the brown butter. Now I know brown butter can be a bit intimidating, but if you just approach it with a “no fear!” attitude, all will be well, I promise. A few minutes and a bit of fortitude.
We served it for dessert but the leftovers were so good for breakfast, I believe it will be on my next brunch menu. Maybe with a pear, or cherries, or blueberries. Oh, the possibilities! Enjoy!
Apple-Cardamom Brown-Butter Dutch Baby
This recipe comes from Martha Stewart Living, October 2016. Dutch baby is a type of pancake, but it’s crispy edges give it enough of a pie vibe to make it a fantastic dessert, too! It is a lovely brunch recipe or an easy dessert, just top it with whipped cream!
- Prep Time: 20m
- Cook Time: 45m
- Serves: 4
- Category: Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts and Sweets, Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
- 1/3 c Granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Cardamom
- 3 Large eggs at room temperature
- 1/2 c AP flour
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 2/3 c Milk (I used 2%, but whole milk is good, too!)
- 1/2 tsp. Pure vanilla extract
- 1 Large Granny Smith Apple, cored and sliced into 1/4" wedges
- Unsweetened or sweetened Whipped cream or sour cream for serving, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F, with a 10" cast-iron pan.
- In a small saucepan or sauté pan, brown the butter, by melting it over medium-high heat. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat to medium. It will begin to foam. Continue cooking. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pan, until foam subsides. The milk solids, which are brown specks, will sink to the bottom and the butter will become dark golden with a nutty aroma. When this happens, remove from heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. This process should take 2-7 minutes total.
- In a small bowl, mix together sugar and cardamom. Separately, with a hand mixer or blender on medium-high, mix eggs until frothy and pale, about 2 minutes. Add flour, salt, milk, vanilla and 1T of the cardamom-sugar mixture. Continue to beat until smooth.
- Carefully remove the skillet from the oven. Add the brown butter and the apple slices. Stir until the slices are evenly coated then arrange into a single layer. Pour the finished batter into the skillet. Bake 20-25 minutes. The resulting Dutch baby should be puffy, crisp on top, and golden brown on the edges and some golden brown areas in the middle. This takes 20-25 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or sour cream., sprinkling with the remaining cardamom sugar.
Why was the crust soggy?
Hi, Patricia! Thanks for your question. The “crust” is a kind of pancake that should be a bit crispy on top, and buttery on the bottom, and slightly crispy, but also tender kind of like a crepe or pancake. But the exterior should not be soggy. The high temperature should make the bottom a bit crisp. So, I unfortunately can’t guess other reasons it might be “soggy”. I’m sorry the recipe didn’t turn out as expected. I checked the recipe on Martha Stewart, and there were no comments about it being soggy there, either.
I love cardamom in desserts! I could happily eat this deliciousness for breakfast, lunch, dinner or just like that :p
Thanks Freda! I actually think one could increase the cardamom a bit in the recipe.?? but like you, it’s a spice I love!