Dutch Baby Pancake

First let me make it clear that this particular recipe is for a special occasion! It is very rich, very calorie laden and just over the top but it is so yummy and looks so impressive. No one needs to know that this is one of the easiest things to make. That can be our little secret, okay.

I have been making these for way more years than I want to remember. We first had a similar item in a local restaurant and loved them but they were expensive to order. I decided that I had to figure out an at home version. Most of the recipes I found at the time were made in large pans to feed a group. I really wanted to make the individual version just like our local restaurant. I fiddled around with this one and we have been enjoying them ever since.

You will need to figure out how many pans your oven can hold safely at one time because these won't wait for anyone. When you are serving a larger group you will either need to use two ovens or eat in shifts (sorry)

Back when I came up with this we used to do a Sunday breakfast with a couple that were really good friends of ours. One week they would come to our house and the next week we went to theirs. I have to admit that Patty and I became very competitive over these breakfasts. LOL That is probably why I came up with this one.

You will need a blender for this recipe, it is just too hard to get the batter right without one. Also you will need a regular size pie pan for each serving. I have even used the disposable foil ones and they work just fine.

If I am making more than one of these I go ahead and put the pans in the oven to heat and line up some measuring cups or other containers to hold the individual serving worth of batter as I go. I then make up each batch of batter and transfer it to its own container to wait until I have all the batter finished. Then I quickly pour each batch into its own pan, I don't remove the pans from the oven I just pull out the oven rack and carefully pour in and then just as carefully push the racks back. Work quickly though so you don't loose too much heat from the oven.

Whatever you do DON'T open the oven door until these are done (or at least almost done) they need the heat to puff up.

Dutch Baby Pancake

(ingredients for each pancake, multiply by however many you are making)

2 Tablespoons buttermilk

2 eggs

½ cup milk

½ cup flour

powdered sugar

lemon wedge

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit

Place the butter in pie pan and place in hot oven to melt and get hot. It is alright if the butter browns a bit in this process.

Place the eggs in your blender and blend at high speed for 30 seconds, the eggs should become light yellow and gain volume in this process.

Slowly add the milk to the eggs with the blender running at a medium high speed. This must be done slowly. Now add the flour, again slowly and with the blender running. Replace the lid on the blender increase speed to high and blend for 1 minute.

Pour into hot pan on top of butter.

Bake for 20 minutes or until puffed and well browned.

Sprinkle with a dusting of powdered sugar and a lemon wedge to squeeze over the pancake.

Cranberry-White Chocolate Scones for Breakfast

One of the favorite breakfasts in our house on busy mornings are scones, I love them because I make them in the afternoon or evening for the next  morning. My kids love them because they can grab them as they run out the door. This Cranberry-White Chocolate version was the choice for today. I know your family will love them too.


I make my scones with my food processor making them even easier to mix up.

Cranberry-White Chocolate Scones

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup cold butter (cut up into small pieces)
1 large egg beaten
4 to 6 Tablespoons half & half
1/2 cup white chocolate baking chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In the bowl of the food processor combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, fresh ginger and lemon zest and pulse the processor to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse until the butter is thoroughly mixed into the flour mixture (I think the best description I have ever  heard for this stage is that it should look like grated Parmesan cheese). Add the egg and half & half and pulse just until combined and the mixture forms a mass.

Remove dough from the food processor onto a floured surface. Add the dry fruit and chips and knead everything together. Try get the additions mixed through evenly but work quickly so the dough doesn't get tough. I try to not knead the dough more than about 10 or 12 times.

Pat dough into a thick disk about 8" across and cut into 6 wedges.

You can brush the tops of the scones with more half & half and sprinkle with sugar if desired. At holiday time it is fun to use the pretty colored sugars that are sold for decorating cookies.

Place on an un-greased baking sheet and bake for 15-16 minutes.

Serve now or in the morning.

Overnight Banana-Walnut French Toast

Since this is the beginning of Spring Break here I thought it would be a good day for a leisurely breakfast so I dug out this recipe. This would also be great for a weekend brunch. I love it for many reasons but the fact that it is put together in the afternoon and then sits in the fridge until time cook it in the morning puts it at the top of my list for a laze morning. All I had to do this morning was to heat the oven and put this in for 45 minutes, then we could enjoy.

Overnight Banana-Walnut French Toast

¾ cup packed dark brown sugar

¼ cup butter, melted

2 Tablespoons light corn syrup

¼ cup chopped walnuts

2 medium bananas

10 (approximately) slices cinnamon raisin bread

3 eggs

¾ cup half and half

½ teaspoon vanilla

Coat an 8”x 8” baking dish with butter or spray with cooking spray. In a medium mixing bowl combine the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and walnuts until well mixed. Carefully fold in the bananas (trying not to break them up) then pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Using the cinnamon raisin bread make 2 layers of bread, I used 4 full slices and 1 slice that was cut in half on each layer. You want to make a layer that fills the baking dish completely.

Combine the eggs, half and half and vanilla and pour this mixture over the bread. Cover with foil and refrigerate over night (no more than 24 hours) I like to make it in the afternoon for the next morning.

In the morning heat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Uncover the baking dish and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve portions upside down, spooning the sauce from the bottom of the dish over each serving.

4 servings

Tropical Banana Bread

I have to admit I really wasn't planning to make banana bread when I got up this morning. I made the decision (or was it made for me) when I looked in the fruit bowl. My kids have this strange habit of leaving 3 bananas in there every time. It doesn't matter how many bananas I buy, I could bring home 4 or 24 and there would still be 3 left to get over ripe that they won't eat. Why, you ask? They have learned that 3 is the magic number of bananas needed to create a loaf of banana bread. Since the fruit bowl decided I needed to bake I went through the cabinets to see what else to use up today. Well, I still had the rest of the coconut from the cupcakes the other day and there is that bit of fresh ginger in the fridge and I have one more bag of crystallized ginger that I really should be using up. These items put me on the road to a Tropical Banana Bread that if I do say so myself is pretty darn yummy.

A note about crystallized ginger if you buy it in the baking aisle of your grocery store  it is pretty spendy. I have found it at Cost Plus World Market on the candy aisle for a much better price so if you have them nearby be sure to check them out. I have also been threatening to make my own but haven't gotten to it yet so that is a recipe for the future.

If you get right down to it this recipe actually has 3 types of ginger in it since the pumpkin pie spice also contains ginger. Can you tell it is a flavor I was in the mood for today?

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do.

Tropical Banana Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 cup mashed bananas (3 medium)
1/2 cup shaved coconut
1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

Grease and flour a 9"x5"x3" loaf pan and set aside.
In  a medium mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients.
In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients and combine with the dry ingredients. Mix only until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Allowing the batter to set up for 30 minutes will help the loaf to form a nice rounded top and to not crack as much.  Meanwhile preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  After the 30 minutes bake the loaf in the preheated oven for approximately an hour, be sure to test with a toothpick to determine if it is cooked through.

Cool in pan on a wire rack for a half hour, remove from pan and cool completely.

Enjoy!

Breakfast Bowl

I love to go out for breakfast and one of the things I look for on the menu regularly is a version of the breakfast bowl. I love them but I don’t love the fact that almost always the bottom of the bowl is filled with greasy shredded hash browns. When I make them at home I skip over the hash browns and use rice either brown or white for a version that is a lot less greasy and still filling and tasty.

This morning I woke up hungry and decided to make myself a breakfast bowl. I really wasn’t in the mood to wait for brown rice to cook so I used the white variety instead. I set the rice cooker up to do its job and read a few emails while I waited.(and yes that is my keyboard in the background I went back to reading my email when I got finished cooking it)

Breakfast Bowl

1 serving of cooked rice (keep warm or if using leftover reheat)

1 slice bacon, cut up

1 green onion, sliced

2 mushrooms, sliced

1 canned roasted chili pepper, cut up

2 eggs

1 Tablespoon soft cream cheese

1 Tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley

salt and pepper to taste.

When the rice was just about done (you could also reheat rice leftover from last night’s dinner)  I browned off a slice of chopped bacon and then used the lovely rendered fat to cook a sliced green onion and a few sliced mushrooms (after removing the bacon to a paper towel to drain). I also had a single canned roasted chili pepper left over from my dinner last night so I chopped that up and added it to the pan with the onion and mushroom. At this point I seasoned my veggies with a pinch of salt and a little fresh ground pepper. Meanwhile I scrambled 2 eggs with a tablespoon of cream cheese, a bit of chopped flat leaf parsley, and a little salt and pepper. I added the bacon back into the skillet and added the egg mixture. I cooked the mixture until the eggs were cooked the way I like them. Then I placed the rice into my bowl and added the eggs on top. A very quick and filling breakfast without all the extra grease of the hash browns. 

serves 1