Savory Dutch Baby – the sibling of the sweet Dutch Baby, a fluffy, light breakfast pancake of German origin.
I met the sweet Dutch Baby first. Inspired by a tutor who taught me to allow new possibilities to transform old ways of being, I figured, there has to be a savory version of this dish. In case you are wondering, my tutor was not an old Tibetan monk, but a six-year-old New Yorker, who rolled Muenster cheese into a Hungarian pancake (palacsinta) without hesitation, while I was watching in horror! Palacsinta traditionally has sweet fillings, and the idea of putting salty cheese inside felt almost inappropriate. I laugh at myself today and will be forever grateful for the lesson. 🙂
The savory version of the Dutch Baby is made the same way as the sweet one. Use the same basic ingredients, reduce the amount of sugar, add more salt, and your baby will be ready for savory toppings. We topped half of ours with arugula, fried tomatoes, and goat cheese as a vegetarian option, and the other half with ham, egg, and avocado to satisfy the meat lovers. There are so many other savory topping options; prosciutto, smoked salmon, fresh chopped vegetables, grilled veggies, cheese, etc., you can even use leftovers. #zerofoodwaste
We sprinkled the green parts of scallion onto our batter before baking, you can sprinkle the pancake with the greens after it is out of the oven as well. You can also replace the scallion with any of your favorite fresh herbs: chive, thyme, basil, oregano, etc., depending on what toppings you will end up using.
Neverending options.
Especially if you are not afraid to cross the invisible borders of old territories.
Ingredients
For the batter:
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- pinch of sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped scallion
- For the top:
- arugula tossed with lemon vinaigrette
- sliced avocado
- goat cheese
- eggs your style
- shaved ham
- fried tomatoes
- We used these toppings, but feel free to replace them with a combination of greens and proteins of your choice!
Cook’s notes
I used only 2 tbsp of butter and was completely happy with the result.
If you want a really tall pancake, make the batter ahead of time and place it in an airtight container in the fridge overnight. You can keep the batter in the fridge for up to 3 days before using it.
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine eggs, flour, milk, salt and sugar in a blender jar and blend until smooth. Batter may also be mixed by hand.
3. Place butter in a heavy 10-inch skillet or baking dish and place in the oven. As soon as the butter has melted (watch it so it does not burn) add the batter to the pan, sprinkle chives on top. Return pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the pancake is puffed and golden. Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake 5 minutes longer.
4. Remove pancake from oven, serve at once, with your choice of savory toppings.
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