Earlier this week my twenty something year old niece called to say she had booked a flight and would be home for the Easter weekend! Hearing this news was like winning the lottery without having bought a ticket! Now only if her brother would surprise us all and fly home for the weekend too! Between their college schedules and living their new post-collegiate lives in two different states, it's been a long time since we have been all together for Easter. And an even longer time since we celebrated the holiday with a holiday feast and egg hunts. As exciting as this news was, I learned something else this week. Something that made my heart equally happy. When you unexpectedly learn the holiday memories created and experienced over the years continue to be remembered (without any prompting), your heart swells with joy. My heart swelling happiness came when my niece said she was expecting to see a lamb butter and chocolate covered poundcake eggs on the table along with an Easter Egg hunt having only pink and purple eggs. You see, when my niece and nephew were growing up, the Easter egg hunts were always ones where plastic eggs in every color were filled with coins and/or candy and hidden in the yard or in the house if the weather wasn't cooperating. There was one year when my then three year old niece walked right past the blue, orange, green, and yellow eggs nesting in plain view, putting only the pink and purple ones into her basket. That year I had to ask her five year old brother if he would give up his pink and purple eggs to his sister. I was simultaneously surprised but yet not surprised at all that he did. It would be one of the many times over the course of their lives thus far where they have unselfishly did something for the other. I think if you randomly ask some parents (or their aunts and uncles) what makes them proudest of their children, the answers for most of them might not only include a listing of their athletic, academic, or professional accomplishments. I am guessing most of their answers would also stories of the times their child(ren) demonstrated a character trait or value in unexpected moments. Grades on a report card, records set on the athletic field, or titles or awards earned in the workplace matter only for short periods of time in one's life. Possessing the character traits of kindness, thoughtfulness, generosity, unselfishness, honesty, fairness, integrity, and empathy matter throughout the course of one's life. As those are the things really defining who we are along with being a reflection of the many things we learned or observed growing up.
Speaking of memories, meals are another way we create them. Dutch Babies make for incredibly memorable meals. Since the inception of this blog, I have shared five recipes for both sweet and savory Dutch Babies. This one will make it an even half-dozen. Clearly I have a thing for Dutch Babies. On the savory side there has been only one posting: the Herbed Parmesan Dutch Baby with Tomato Jam. All of the other dutch baby recipes have been on the sweet side: The Caramel Apple Dutch Baby ala Mode; the Dutch Baby with Creme Fraiche and Fresh Berries; the simple, unadorned Dutch Baby, At Last; and, even a Blueberry Dutch Baby. But this Blueberry Dutch Baby with Blueberry Sauce and Toasted Almonds is its' own unique version of one of my most favorite breakfast/brunch dishes. If you are looking to make new memories this Easter, make this Dutch Baby.
Unlike all of the other Dutch Babies served with fruit, this one has blueberries both infused into the batter along with being topped with them. The topping in this case comes in the form of a simple, easy to make homemade blueberry jam. If you love blueberries, this Dutch Baby has your name on it.
I was a bit heavy handed with the blueberries when I made this Dutch Baby. I used almost 1 1/2 cups. Which may have been a half cup too much. So the recipe below recommends using only one cup of fresh blueberries. If you want to go full throttle with 1 1/2 cups, wait until after you make it with only one cup. You can always sprinkle a half-cup of fresh blueberries on top of the baked Dutch Baby.
The easiest way to make the batter for the Dutch Baby is to put all of the ingredients, except the blueberries of course, in a blender. Give a whirl for 45-60 seconds and it's done. After making a number of Dutch Babies over the years, I have learned two things. The first is let the batter rest for 10-15 minutes before pouring it into the pan. The second, more valuable lesson, is to make the make the batter the night before. Giving it a whirl in the blender just before pouring into the hot pan. The resting time seems enhance the 'puffiness' of the baked Dutch Baby.
Using a technique shared by another blogger, the cast iron pan was placed in a pre-heated 450 degree (F) oven for 20-30 minutes. When the butter hits this really hot pan, it will sizzle, slightly brown and melt almost instantly. The lightly browned butter adds yet another flavor dimension to this dutch baby. Immediately after the butter melts, pour in the batter and and quickly get the pan back into the oven.
Baking time for this Dutch Baby is 20-25 minutes. Wait until you get close to the 20 minute mark before opening up the oven to check on it. You know it's done when the sides have puffed up and are golden in color. Additionally, the center of the Dutch Baby will have risen slightly and firmed up a bit. The weight of the blueberries will cause this Dutch Baby not to rise as high as those where the fruit is added after the baking process. Not to worry, it will still be a sight to behold when you bring it to the table.
A light dusting of confectionary sugar is all this Blueberry Dutch Baby needs.
Finish with several dollops of the Homemade Blueberry Sauce and some lightly toasted sliced almonds and your Dutch Baby is ready to serve.
Don't forget to bring the extra blueberry sauce to the table when serving the Dutch Baby. To take it a bit over the top, you could finish the Dutch Baby with some lightly sweetened creme fraiche. But trust me when I tell you it is so blueberry-icious good it doesn't even need it.
There are several differences between this Blueberry Dutch Baby and the other one posted to the blog. Not only does is there a tad bit more sugar in the batter, but the addition of the cinnamon sends this one to a new level of delectableness.
Forgive me if I am being a bit redundant, but everyone should own at least one cast iron pan. Why? Well because they make the absolutely best Dutch Babies. And a breakfast, birthday celebration, or holiday brunch doesn't get any better than when it includes a Dutch Baby. Especially this impressive, easy to make Blueberry Dutch Baby with Blueberry Sauce and Toasted Almonds. Bring it to any table, stand back, and enjoy the proverbial drop the mic moment.
Happy Easter everyone! May your baskets be overflowing with eggs in all of your favorite colors!
Blueberry Dutch Baby with Blueberry Sauce and Toasted Almonds
Serves 2 starving people, 4 hungry people, or 6 able to show restraint people
Ingredients
Blueberry Dutch Baby
3/4 cup (100g) all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
3/4 cup (6 ounces) whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup (66g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup fresh blueberries
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into four pieces
Confectionary sugar
2-3 Tablespoons sliced almonds, lightly toasted
Optional: Lightly sweetened creme fraiche.
Blueberry Sauce
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup caster or granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Directions
Blueberry Sauce
1. In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, water, sugar, and lemon juice.
2. Bring mixture to a boil. Allow to boil for several minutes.
3. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook until the sauce has thickened (approximately 10-15 minutes).
4. Transfer to a serving dish.
Dutch Baby
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees (F). Place a 10-11 inch cast iron pan in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
2. In a blender, whip the milk, eggs, vanilla, sugar, salt, flour, and cinnamon for approximately 45-60 seconds. Allow mixture to rest for 10-15 minutes before adding the blueberries. Note: If not using immediately, cover and store in the refrigerator. Add the blueberries right before ready to add the batter to the pan.
3. Carefully remove pan from oven and add butter. As soon as butter has melted immediately pour the batter into the hot pan. Quickly return the pan to the oven and bake until the sides are puffed up and golden brown (approximately 20-25 minutes).
4. Remove the Blueberry Dutch Baby from the oven and place pan on a wire rack. Lightly dust with confectionary sugar. Spread a couple of tablespoons of the homemade blueberry sauce on the bottom of the Dutch Baby. Sprinkle with toasted almonds. (See notes below for an alternative presentation.)
5. Serve immediately. Don't forget to bring the remaining blueberry sauce to the table.
Notes: (1) Batter can be made the night before but without the addition of the blueberries. Briefly pulse in the blender before pouring into the hot pan. (2) Use a 10 inch to 11 inch cast iron pan for this recipe. (3) Cover and refrigerate any leftover blueberry sauce. It's great on pancakes, waffles, and even ice cream. (4) For an over the top Blueberry Dutch Baby serve with lightly sweetened, lightly whipped creme fraiche. After lightly dusting with confectionary sugar, drop dollops of the creme fraiche on the just out of the oven Blueberry Dutch Baby before dropping dollops of the blueberry sauce. Finish with a sprinkling of toasted sliced almonds. (5) To make the lightly sweetened creme fraiche, whip together 8 ounces of creme fraiche, 2 Tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, and 3 Tablespoons of confectionary sugar. Beat until the mixture hold soft peaks. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve if make in advance.
Sunrise in South Carolina