RECIPE: Savory Dutch baby is easy and impressive dinner dish
A Dutch baby is one of those dishes that, after you’ve made it for the first time, you’ll want to prepare again and again. Simply whisk or blend together flour, milk and eggs, then pour it all into a hot, butter-filled cast-iron skillet and bake for 15 minutes. For such a simple dish, the payoff — a dramatic, puffed pancake with deeply golden brown edges and a tender, buttery center — is huge. You can top it with fruit and sugar for breakfast or, do as I’ve been doing, and fill it with savory ingredients for dinner.
While you can certainly choose to fill your Dutch baby with meat (diced ham or rotisserie chicken are both effortless options), I like a vegetarian filling of fried chickpeas and arugula. It’s easy to prepare while the Dutch baby bakes — just make sure to give the chickpeas enough undisturbed cooking time to brown and crisp before stirring in the arugula.
The only real trick to the dish (if you could even call it a trick) is to ready the dinner table and your dinner guests before the Dutch baby is finished baking. Its dramatic height will begin shrinking immediately after it is removed from the oven, so you’ll want to serve it, in all its soufflé-like glory, as quickly as possible.
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained well
- 1 (5-ounce) package baby arugula, divided
- Place a 12-inch cast-iron skillet in the middle of the oven and heat to 425 degrees.
- While the oven heats, whisk together the flour, milk, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper in a large bowl. Continue to whisk until the mixture is completely smooth. Once the oven is hot, carefully remove the skillet, add 2 tablespoons of the butter, and let melt. Give the pan a swirl to coat the bottom and sides with the butter, then pour in the batter. Return to the oven and bake until the Dutch baby is puffed and the edges are golden brown, about 15 minutes.
- While the Dutch baby bakes, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a second skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is foamy, add the chickpeas and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, undisturbed, until beginning to brown and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add about three-quarters of the arugula, one handful at a time, and stir until wilted. (Reserve the remaining arugula for serving.) Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- When the Dutch baby is finished, scoop the chickpea-arugula mixture into the center, making sure to include all of the melted butter. Top with the remaining arugula. Serve immediately from the skillet. Serves 2-4.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving, based on 4: 445 calories (percent of calories from fat, 51), 17 grams protein, 38 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fiber, 26 grams total fat (13 grams saturated), 235 milligrams cholesterol, 667 milligrams sodium.Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
