It wasn’t too long ago that we shared this sweet Dutch baby recipe spiced with cinnamon, cardamon and topped with butter cooked apples. We came up with that recipe at the same time as this cheesy version. We’re going to go ahead and call that a delicious week!
How to Make a Savory Dutch Baby
Joanne fell in love with the apple topped pancake, but this one with lots of ham and cheese has my vote. The trick to making the best Dutch baby pancake is to heat the pan in the oven before adding the batter. This makes sure that the moment the batter hits the pan, it starts to puff and creep up the sides. Since we add the ham and cheese, the pancake won’t grow as high up the sides, but it still stays light and airy. The batter recipe is very similar to our apple version, we simply omit the sugar and spices and replace them for a dollop of tangy mustard and ground black pepper. When the pan is hot, we pour in the batter and pile ham and cheese into the middle of the pancake. After about 20 minutes, the pancake is puffed and golden brown. We always seem to find ourselves eating the Dutch baby out of the pan, but this would be excellent served with a tangy salad on the side — maybe one with mustard added to the dressing like this Shaved Fennel and Arugula Salad. Since ovens can vary slightly in temperature, it’s a good idea to check after 15 minutes of baking. If the sides are puffed and beginning to turn brown, you might want to reduce the oven to 300 degrees a few minutes earlier. We like the tips of the sides to be a dark brown, but not burned. 1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper Pinch fresh ground nutmeg 2 ounces ham, thinly sliced 2 ounces Gruyère or Emmental cheese, coarsely grated 3 tablespoons butter Fresh herbs or thinly sliced scallions for serving 2Whisk the eggs, flour, milk, mustard, salt, pepper, and the nutmeg until well blended. You can also use a blender. 3Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat. Swirl the melted butter around the pan. When it is bubbling, pour in the batter. Pile the ham and cheese into the middle of the skillet. Try to leave about 1-inch of batter uncovered around the edges so that the batter puffs up the sides of the pan while baking. 4Slide into the oven and bake until puffed and golden, 16 to 20 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 300 degrees F and cook for an additional 5 minutes to fully set. 5Serve family-style topped with fresh herbs or sliced scallions.
