Have you ever heard of Dutch Baby? Me either but when I saw
the recipe in the CIA cookbook and saw how simple it was I thought why not try
it.    According to Wikipedia a Dutch Baby
is a German pancake or popover baked in a metal pan that is traditionally
served for breakfast.  There is no leavening
in the pancake so it falls almost as soon as it’s taken out of the oven.  The CIA cookbook recipe called for whipped
cream topping, yogurt or sour cream and spiced peaches with it being served
immediately out of the oven.  As usual I
had to tweak it.  I caramelized some
apples with cinnamon and brown sugar for the topping and I did serve it with
sweetened fresh whipped cream.  I did
make it ahead of time and served it as a dessert.  I didn’t bake mine in a cast iron skillet,
but in a stainless steel sauté pan which I buttered.  If you do chose to use a sauté pan the more
butter the better, since mine did stick a little.

In the directions it says to bake the Dutch Baby for 20
minutes without opening the door then to lower the heat and bake for an additional
10 minutes.  There was an element of
surprise when I finally took it out.  It
was puffy around the edges, not at all what I expected. The pancake itself was
crispy on the edges and a little doughy in the center. The basic pancake gives
off a enticing aroma once it’s drizzled with fresh lemon juice. It’s then
finished with the spiced apples and softly whipped cream.   For a
first attempt I have to say it was tasty and not overly sweet for a
dessert.  I can see it being delicious
with a steaming cup of coffee on a cold autumn morning.

Be sure to read all the way to the bottom of this post for more amazing apple recipes from all the participants in Summer Fest.

To make Spiced Apple Dutch Baby you’ll need:

½ cup all purpose flour

½ tsp salt

2 large eggs

½ cup milk

¼ cup butter, melted

2 ¾ cups peeled and sliced apples

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Powdered sugar as needed

¼ cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

1 tsp. lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Sift flour and salt together in a small bowl.

Put the eggs in a blender and blend at low speed.  Add the flour mixture and the milk
alternately, in thirds.  Scrape down the
sides of the blender and continue to blend until smooth.  Blend in 2 tablespoons of the melted butter.

Pour the batter into a well-greased 10 inch cast iron skillet
or an ovenproof sauté pan.  Bake for 20
minutes without opening the oven door. 
Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake 10 minutes longer.

While the Dutch baby is baking, prepare the spiced
fruit.  Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons
of melted butter in a medium sauté pan over high heat.  Add the apples, cinnamon and brown
sugar.  Continue to cook until the apples
are soft and browned, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Remove the Dutch baby from the oven and drizzle with lemon
juice and sprinkle with powdered sugar. 
Fill the center of the Dutch baby with the hot, spiced fruit mixture.
Top with whipped cream and lemon zest and serve at once.