Ah, hello 2013.
It's nice to be back into the swing of things, although I do admit I wouldn't turn down a few more weeks of vacation time – it was much needed. We work too hard here in the States. Anyways, that's a topic for another day. How're you? How were your holidays? Restful, I hope.
Without getting too much into the 'New Years resolutions' camp, I'll just say a few things I'm looking forward to and working towards this year.
Productivity, tempered by appreciation for the quiet times.
Cultivating more of said quiet times, lets not stress quite so much, eh?
Learning new things! Reading new books! Seeing new sights!
Getting my knit on.
Continuing on the ever-changing path for Balue/Co. that I have in my mind, making this year the best yet for my business.
Focusing on craft.
Eating more Dutch Baby pancakes. Which brings us to this, our lovely (and easy) recipe. I made these the first morning of this year, a rare sunny Seattle winter morning, and they were pretty much perfect. Definitely a great way to gently welcome in a new year.
Dutch Baby Pancakes
Slightly adapted from Chow
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange or lemon zest
6 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Powdered sugar and lemon wedges, for serving
Heat the oven to 425 °F and arrange a rack in the middle. Place a large, seasoned cast iron skillet in the oven as it preheats, at least 5 minutes (I don't have a cast iron skillet so I used a glass pie dish which worked just fine).
Combine flour, salt, and orange or lemon zest in a large bowl and whisk to break up any lumps and incorporate; set aside. Combine eggs, milk, and vanilla in a separate bowl and whisk until the eggs are broken up. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, pour in the egg mixture, and mix until the batter is thoroughly moistened and slightly lumpy, about 1 minute.
Remove the hot skillet from the oven and add the butter. Once the butter melts, tilt the skillet to coat the bottom and sides.
Pour the batter into the skillet and bake in the oven until puffed and golden brown on the sides, about 20 minutes. Remove the pancake from the oven and serve immediately with a generous squeeze of lemon and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.
Serves about 4, or 2 very, very hungry folk.
