Apple Dutch Baby

I have fond memories while growing up of eating Apple Dutch Babies made by my mom. These were a huge treat at my house -often they were a special weekend breakfast, but occasionally they made their way onto our dinner plates, which was fine by me! They seemed so complicated- the batter would puff up to great heights in the oven, only to quickly deflate once it emerged, and my mom would make a sweet and tart mix of apple, lemon, butter and powdered sugar to top the Dutch Baby with. 

This is another one of those meals (like Carrot Cake Pancakes) that you can delude yourself into thinking is an entirely healthy meal- it's got 2 eggs per serving, so it's full of protein and Omega 3's, and plus- it's topped with apple! Fresh apple! Fiber! Plus lemon, so you won't get scurvy.  

(In addition to baking me many an Apple Dutch Baby, my mom also taught me the fine art of justifying your food: Ice Cream? Yes!! It's got calcium- every woman needs more calcium! Wine? Yes- it's so good for the heart! Chocolate? Hello anti-oxidants! Chips? Salt is an essential mineral! Plus, my mother is gorgeous and in great shape, so her food justifications are that much more believable: Eat ice cream and chips, and you can only hope you'll look as fit as she does.) 

But really, Apple Dutch Babies don't need justification beyond this: They're delicious, and they're really easy. They look fancy and pretty, but really only take a couple minutes of hands-on time. 

Preheat oven to 375.

Batter:

combine 4 eggs with 1/2 cup milk and a generous dash of vanilla extract, then add 1/2 cup flour and whisk well.

In a pre-heated oven-proof dish (like a cast iron skillet or glass pie pan) coat the sides and bottom of the dish with 3 T melted butter, then pour the batter in, and place in oven. It should bake about 20 minutes, but check it at 15. When it's a beautiful light golden brown, remove it and watch as it deflates. 

Filling: I sauteed 3 chopped apples in 1 T butter with the juice of one lemon, a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg, and a spoonful of powdered sugar, plus a little more powdered sugar to make it pretty when you plate it. 

This is the time to eyeball it, though- if you like more lemon- do it! (Vitamin C!)  Want more butter? (Great source of mono-unsaturated fat, AND Vitamin A!) Think a little scoop of vanilla ice cream will round this dish out? (And, oh, it does. Hello, calcium!)

(Happy Mother's Day, mom!)