Dutch Babies
(A Love Affair with Food)
I'm laughing at myself still this morning!
You see, last night it took me a long time to decide what to make and have for dinner.
My requirements seemed almost too confining:
a.) Has to be made with only items already in the house - no trip to the store please;
b.) Nothing very complicated - I'm too tired to work so hard tonight;
c.) Something different than what I usually make - a little excitement even would be fun;
Last but defiantly not last,
d.) Has to include fruit! - I have a taste for fruit and I have plenty on hand.
Well nothing I could think of felt inspiring. In fact it all sounded tasteless, boring and just too
much work. At one point in my trying to decide process, I almost wish that item "a.)" wasn't on
the list; for then I could just go out and eat at a restaurant! But I really didn't want to go out and I
didn't want to spend the money it would cost for someone else to do for me what I could very
well and even better do for myself tonight.
So frustrated, I just sat the whole ideal of eating aside and got myself ready to go to bed. I wasn't
as much hungry as I had a taste for the fruit I had on hand. Life is funny like that sometimes. I
surely wasn't going to starve to death if I didn't eat this evening. I did leave myself open to
inspiration though if it came. I would prepare and eat dinner later if something really interesting
and maybe even exciting came to my awareness later. I have the day off work tomorrow and so
being up real late would not impose on my getting a proper nights rest as I could sleep-in in the
morning.
Then as I relaxed in bed not really thinking about any one thing - just letting ideas pass in and
out of my awareness, the picture and recipe in a cookbook I purchased on sale last summer just
floated into my mental visual screen of awareness. The recipe it represented was in fact the only
reason I even gave second thought to purchasing it then at it's ridiculously low sale price of
$1.99 - marked down from$29.95. The book was by a popular cooking TV personality and his
teen age daughter. Most of the recipes were very simple yet not your run of the mill American
foods.
At first, as I began to entertain and retain the idea of this recipe in my meditative state of mind,
conflicting beliefs started to do battle with each other. I have a whole history with this food and I
had made up my mind by default a long time ago that it must be complicated and hard to
produce such a delightful sight and tastes sensation as "Dutch babies"!
My first introduction to Dutch Babies back in 1987 was trough my dear long time friend, Sandra.
Sandra understood food, health and children very well. We had raised our children togehter and
apart over the years and I not only loved and trusted her, I respected and admired her. Always
had. Always will. Few people get my admiration. So when Sandra took me to a speciality little
restaurant in my own - new to me then - neighborhood for brunch one day, my experience there
was flavored with the same admiration view point I held for her.
The place was bustling with happy, joyful people, both employees (of which there was an
abundance by most restaurant business practices) and patrons, including a line out the door. It
was clean yet boutique-y in appearance - femininely decorated yet not so much that males felt
uncomfortable. The kitchen was an open arrangement and all that went on in it was in full view
for everyone to see. Yet there was a mysterious exciting feel each time an abundant plateful was
carried and served to a table.
The speciality of the house was Dutch Babies. I had never heard of them. I had never heard of
this place. Yet others apparently had as it was the only thing going in this little strip mall tuck
away in a back residential neighborhood. While we waited for a table, I ask Sandra; “What are
Dutch Babies?” She smiled and gave a little laugh. She tried to explain; “They’re made with a
batter something like a pancake but not - richer. Baked in a oven and rises like a souffle but not -
only the sides. Filled with different fillings something like a crape but not - thicker..."
The more she gave her "something like...but not" the more confused I became. None of her
words came up to the visual impact these plates passing before me seem to imprint on my
awareness. And the smells were direct from heaven!
Suddenly we were seated and the menu presented. Too many options. I now had to have a Dutch
Baby; that was easy and it narrowed down the selection field. However, filled with what? That
was the question. Vegetables in cream sauce? Fruit? What kind? Yogurt? Sour cream? Ice
cream? Too many options. The waitress waited patiently.
Realizing that the longer I took to decide the longer it would be before my first bite, I almost
blurted out, “peaches with sour cream.” Feeling quite foolish but happy that the decision was
finally made and we could move on, I smile at Sandra and changed the subject: “So tell me, how
are the kids getting along in their new house?”. We soon became so intense in our conversation
that when the waitress sat my custom created Dutch Baby down in front of me, I was startle!.
The sight before my eyes was so different than any food I had every seen that I found myself
amazed and just staring at it. The warm smell of the mix of flavors - peaches and all - took over
my senses and I lifted my fork on auto pilot. I’m sure it was a while before I allowed my
attention to broaden out to anything beyond the visual image of the plate before me and the
smells and taste of it contents I was so ardently consuming. As I was about half way though this
delectable meal when I felt Sandra’s attention focused on me. I looked up and blushed. Her
smile was so big; she was actually having a little laugh. She composed herself and remarked; “I
do believe you are the newest fan of Dutch Babies.”
Well I was. Now, years later, my “Dutch Babies fan-ship” has not only been renewed it has
escalated into a proud, glorious love affair for I now know how to make them. And again I’m
laughing at myself for they are so easy to make. The thrill I feel as I watch them rise in their
delightful process, through the glass door of my oven, still astounds me.
They are easy, nutritious, fun and tasty. I invite you try them for yourself:
DUTCH BABIES
NOTE: I give proportional measurements of ingredients here. Double or triple them to achieve
desired serving size. I use an 8" fry pan for a two egg batch.
• Pre heat oven to 450 degree F (hot)
• Place 2 tablespoons (less butter can be used if the pan has a non-stick coating) of butter
in an oven proof fry pan (or similar shaped pan with sloping sides such as a pie pan)
• Place fry pan in oven to pre heat and melt butter.
• Mix together well to form a light batter:
1 egg well beaten
1/4 cup of milk
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup of flour
Pour batter in hot pan and return to oven
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the side turn a nice golden brown
(If you have a glass window in your oven door, watch the magic happen. If not, check the
progress at about 7 minutes or so and adjust baking time accordingly.)
Fill with what ever inspires you. My favorite is a base of plain Greek yogurt, then mixed fruit and a little pure maple syrup to top it off. Yummy!
Enjoy!
Millie Hrdina Monday - March 27, 2006
Click here to read what I have to say about waffles.