Apple Cinnamon Dutch Baby

I learned a few things while making this recipe, the first being that I need a new cast iron skillet. Not that the one I have isn't great but here's the deal - when you use your skillet for making things like burgers and steaks, that residue tends to stay. I know this because when I fried up the apples for this recipe, I could've sworn they had a slight taste of the steak I'd made a few nights earlier. So, much as I hate having too many things that my kids will have to put in that massive garage sale they're going to hold after I die (although it's just as likely they'll pull up a massive dumpster and get rid of my stuff that way!) I'm gonna have to get that second 10 inch skillet.

In addition to steaky apples (which will, no doubt, lead to appley steaks sometime in the near future), I also overcooked my dutch baby. Instead of watching the pancake rise and brown,  I was on to some other task. Big mistake. I'd say you should pay more attention to what your Dutch Baby looks like, rather than relying on the time provided in the recipe.

All that bad news aside, these were very very good. The star of the show turned out to be none other than the sour cream/brown sugar topping. I'm not a lover of sour cream so I almost didn't make this part of the recipe, figuring I could opt for syrup, but since I'd prepped the ingredients, I figured they may as well get made up into the sauce. For something so easy this syrup/sauce really complemented the Dutch Baby well. Confession: When I tasted the mixture after it was microwaved, I decided it was so yummy that I didn't even bother with the apple cider or orange juice. I loved the less cloyingly sweet taste of the sauce, as compared to a straight up syrup. The recipe made way more than I'd eat on even a full 10 inch Dutch Baby so maybe I'll use the leftover amount on the ricotta pancakes that are still in my freezer. Or maybe I'll just drink the stuff from a cup!

Apple Cinnamon Dutch Baby
from Myrecipes.com

Ingredients:

I large gala apple, peeled and sliced.  (I completely love it when a recipe tells you the exact type of apple to buy, especially since there are now about 800 varieties to choose from.)
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons butter, divided
2 large eggs
1/2 cup fat free or low fat milk
1/2 cup all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 to 4 Tablespoons apple cider or orange juice
Powdered sugar for garnish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat a 10 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Toss together apple slices and sugar in a small bowl. Melt 1 T butter in the skillet. Add apples and saute 3 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Remove apples from skillet and wipe the skillet clean.

Whisk together eggs and milk in a medium bowl. Whisk in the flour and next 3 ingredients. Melt remaining 2 T. butter in the skillet over medium high heat. Immediately pour egg mixture into the hot skillet and top with the cooked apples.

Bake at 450 for about 20 minutes or until pancake is golden and puffed.

Meanwhile, stir together the sour cream and brown sugar in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 45 seconds. Whisk until sugar dissolves. Stir in the apple cider (or orange juice) 1 T at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Serve with hot pancake.