Dutch Pancake

Serves 2-6

Preheat the oven to 425°. Put the cold butter into the pan and put the pan into oven. You want the pan to be hot and the butter sizzling when you pour the batter in. Whir the eggs in the blender at high speed for one minute. With the motor running, gradually pour in the milk and salt then slowly add the flour. Blend for another 20 seconds or so. Quickly pour it into the hot pan and return to the oven for 20-25 minutes, until fluffy and golden brown.

Pan Size	Butter	Eggs	Milk & Flour	Salt
9" pie plate	3 Tbs	2	1/2 cup	pinch
12" pan	1/3 cup	4	1 cup	1/2 tsp
16" paella	1/2 cup	6	1 1/2 cup	3/4 tsp

This recipe has been a favorite in my family for as long as I can remember. In fact, I don't think my mother's paella pan has ever had a paella in it; it only gets used for Dutch Pancake. I want to say that she gleaned the recipe from Sunset magazine, but since she makes it from memory the original has been long lost in the Sink household. It is delicious plain, or served with maple syrup or a bit of lemon juice and powdered sugar. I like to add chopped pecans to mine just before it goes in the oven, as in the photo. If you really want to go for the whole "meal in one pan" thing, try adding chunks of cooked ham or bacon.

For as many years as Mom's been making this in her kitchen, and now me in mine, I've never once witnessed a guest who had ever seen the warm, puffy goodness before. Always they say they've never heard of such a thing as Dutch Pancake, always I smile and say to get ready for awesome, and always they are surprised and delighted by this tasty treat. I was beginning to wonder if I'd subconsciously made up the Sunset Magazine origin story because so many of our family faves came from those glossy pages. And then I was flipping through The Grand Central Baking Book and on page 39 is a surprisingly similar recipe, complete with reference to Sunset Magazine. Apparently the original recipe belongs to Viktor Manka, a Seattle restauranteur. The recipe printed by Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson is slightly different from Mom's, and I'm honestly not sure how either compares to Mr. Manka's, but I do know that I love Dutch Pancake, and I'm positive that you will too.