Pear Dutch Baby

A Dutch Baby is essentially a pancake cooked in a cast iron pan where the batter is poured over slices of fruit.  The benefits of the Dutch Baby is that it's always moist and springy and everyone gets to eat 20 minutes after putting it in the oven.  No flipping, no inconsistent misses that get pushed onto the least favored member of the family - you know who you are.  It's said that it started in Seattle where at the very least it acquired it's endearing name; a bastardized pronunciation of "Deutsch"  -- yet another insult to German Americans who have been called Dutch and Pennsylvania Dutch.  Not that Dutch is an insult, but that who wants to be called incorrectly.   It's hard to believe that grandmas everywhere haven't tried this before, especially to feed their small armies or those who kept chickens and had an abundance of eggs. The following recipe will fill a 1-2 quart pan.  Although the pancake slices are light, they are quite filling and a small pan should feed 6 normal folks who don't overeat, or 4 easily like princes or feed 2 like Henry the VIII.  For the more insatiable group of eaters, I recommend serving with sliced fruit.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 Cup water or tea of your choice - light herbal or a black is good (When I am out of cinnamon powder, I make a hot cup of water and put in a few cinnamon sticks 3 or 4 to steep then I use it once it is tepid)
• 1/2 scant Cup of Olive Oil (You can use butter, but it is not necessary)
• 2 TBSP Sugar of your choice (It should not be so much that it makes it sickeningly sweet)
• 1 tsp Vanilla

• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 scant Cup of flour (I do 50/50 unbleached white and whole wheat pastry as whole wheat can make it denser)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1 pear peeled, cored, sliced (or fruit of your choice)

For the topping, your choices are unlimited and for myself I don't use anything with cornstarch in it, like powdered sugar.  Here are some ideas:

• Honey
• Maple syrup
• Cocoa syrup 
• A simple syrup (syrup made of sugar of choice and enough hot water to make into a syrup)
• Agave nectar
• Buttercream (eggs, butter, sugar)
• Spiced Honey butter (butter whipped with cinnamon, ginger, and honey then chilled and sliced into servings)
•  Fruit compote
• Berry preserves
• Yogurt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Oil or butter cast iron pan.  Lay pear (or other fruit) in butter (maybe a tablespoon not more) and flip until coated, set aside.  Blend all dry ingredients except sugar (your sugar always goes with the wet ingredients). Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and olive oil together gently.  Slowly add water and then beat into dry ingredients bowl scraping sides and combing until thin and syrupy.  Pour over the pears and put into hot oven for 20 minutes.  It will be largely puffy and have a gorgeous sheen across a light brown fault lined terrain.  Fruit may float to the top but if it doesn't it is fine.  Enjoy this easy dish.

Lonely slice