Good morning Dutch Baby!

Move aside waffles and pancakes, and welcome to the Dutch Baby.

This family enjoys its Sunday morning breakfast treats. The tradition began a a few years ago. We typically eat homemade pancakes and waffles, with real maple syrup. I did at one point use the mix but gave that up when I realize how easy it was to make your own mixture.

I can't say I like making pancakes. I am not very good at making pancakes. My father is very good at making pancakes. His secret is whipped egg whites and bacon fat. I can't replicate the pancakes because I can't beat egg whites, and I don't typically make bacon because of the smell that lingers in the house. (I love the taste of bacon.)

Waffles are lovely. However, the best waffles are best made with an abundance of butter and a lot of maple syrup. Regardless, even the best waffles get dull after many, many, many weeks of consumption.

Introducing the Dutch Baby. Descriptions in both my Joy of Cooking and my cast iron skillet cookbook suggest the recipe is a german pancake. Not quite sure I understand the name, but this one is a winner. I have wanted to try the recipe for several months, but the ingredients just didn't suggest a winnable combination in this house - lots of eggs, little flour and milk, and a smidgen of sugar.

I made two of these pancakes this morning. Neither looked very good - batter was lumpy, and think tremendously deflated souffle, with ridges the size of the Rockies, too well browned. I feared I would have a sticky, messy cast iron pan. I was wrong (I forgot, another ingredient ... butter), the mass slide right out of that pan.

The children loved it. Kate thought it was a 10 out of 10; Andrew said two thumbs up. The first batch was served with maple syrup, but the second serving was sprinkled icing sugar with a good squeeze of lemon. Yum.

** Borrowed picture. This one looks much better. We will add raspberries the next time.