vanilla bean dutch baby with caramelized cinnamon pears

 

Dutch baby. A cross between a sweet pancake and popover, the dutch baby is the ideal breakfast for special occasions (like valentines day) or lazy weekend mornings.  It’s delicious, stunning, and super simple to make. The steps? Whirl pantry staples in a blender, pour batter into a hot skillet, and bake. The end result is a large puffy treat with crisp buttery edges and a tender custard-like center. Out of the oven, top the dutch baby with caramalized cinnamon pears and a dusting of powdered sugar.

 

The how to… 
Dutch baby recipe very slightly adapted from Simply Recipes
4 servings

Ingredients

 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs plus 1 egg white, at room temperature
2/3 cup milk, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 vanilla bean
powdered sugar, for dusting

Caramelized Cinnamon Pears
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
squeeze lemon juice
generous pinch ground cinnamon
1 pear, cored, & sliced

Instructions

1. Preheat. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet into oven and heat for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prepare batter. In a blender, combine 1 Tbsp of the melted butter, eggs, milk, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a paring knife, split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds (save the pod) and add seeds to blender. Blend until batter is smooth, about 15 seconds.
3. Transfer batter to hot skillet. Carefully remove preheated skillet from the oven.  Add remaining Tbsp of melted butter, pour batter into skillet, and carefully return to the oven. Bake undisturbed for 25 minutes, until the pancake is puffed and golden brown.
4. While the pancake bakes, sauté pears.  Heat a pan over medium heat. Add butter and scraped-out vanilla pod (for flavor). When the butter is melted, add lemon juice, cinnamon, & pear slices.  Cook turning pears occasionally until golden brown and slightly tender, about 5 minutes.
5. Serve. Carefully remove puffed pancake from oven, top with sautéed pears, dust w/powdered sugar, & slice into wedges. Serve immediately.