Dutch Baby with Blackberries and Blackberry Honey
Welcome to my Sunday mornings. For me it is the only day where I can lie in bed for as long as I wish, have a leisurely breakfast and treat myself or my guests royally. Why not serve up this classic Dutch Baby with fresh from the farmers market picked blackberries, some slices of Canadian bacon and a steamy cup of coffee.
Known as the "Cabernet" of berries for their earthy wine-like taste blackberries are a favourite here on the west coast. They grow wild prolifically on every roadside and for those brave enough and armed with long sleeved shirts and pants you will be able to keep your neighbourhood supplied with delicious, plump berries throughout the season. Sadly I live in the interior in a desert oasis so rely upon these brave souls to truck them into our farmers markets. They come at a premium price but are so worth it!!!
Blackberries are similar to raspberries with some of the same nutritional values and health benefits including antioxidants, vitamin C, and fiber. The blackberry family, a member of the rose family, are "aggregate fruits" that are composed of many individual fruits called drupelets. Blackberries can also be called "bramble berry" or "bramble raspberry" and have numerous (and very sharp) short curved spines.
Bramble is the common name for the plant on which the blackberry fruit grows, not the name of the fruit itself and takes me back to my childhood with one of my favourite series The Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem. I loved exploring the miniature world of the hedgerow and meeting the families of mice that live there through this series of books almost as much as I loved to visit Narnia with C.S. Lewis. The mice had such adventures including a midsummer mouse wedding, a wonderful surprise birthday picnic party, a scary mountain exploration, and the biggest celebration of all – the Ice Palace Ball!
Blackberries have risen in culinary prowess here in the West with the fame of the Marionberry, a species of blackberry cultivated south of here in Oregon's Willamette Valley (Marion County). They have exceptional aroma and taste which makes them highly prized by chefs and home cooks alike.
I have also recently discovered that blackberries are for women only. Sorry you guys out there, if indeed any men read this blog, when your significant other makes a delicious no-bake cheesecake topped with blackberries you will need to back away. I am of course only kidding because I don't want to eat this delicious German-inspired pancake in today's post all by myself! I recently read that blackberries have recently been recognized as a leading source of compounds thought to produce health benefits for women, due to their high concentrations of phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens, literally “plant estrogens”, have been of interest to the scientific community because of their possible role in prevention of both breast and cervical cancer. These compounds act as a natural form of estrogen. Studies indicate that blackberries may contain some of the highest levels of phytoestrogens. So eat those blackberries ladies whether you find them frozen, in jam or au naturel.
The perfect foile for my blackberries was to make a comforting breakfast treat... a Dutch Baby, sometimes called a German pancake It is a sweet breakfast dish similar to Yorkshire pudding and derived from the German Apfelpfannkuchen. This dish won me over years ago not only because of its great name, but also because it puffs up to great heights while cooking. What a presentation it makes!!!!This pancake is not as sweet as other pancakes so is traditionally served with lemon juice and icing (powdered) sugar. That is nice but I wanted to use those delicious blackberries discovered at the farmers market over the weekend. I had some blackberry honey which I drizzled on top as well.
**Dutch Baby with Blackberries and Blackberry Honey**
Makes 2 to 4 servings:
3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1/2 cup sifted bread flour or all-purpose flour*
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
7 teaspoons butter
Freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Powdered (confectioners') sugar
1 container blackberries
Honey for drizzling
*Bread flour is a high-protein flour. The high protein helps the pancake rise. All-purpose flour may be substituted but the results won't be as spectacular.
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. NOTE: It is very important that you preheat your oven. Place oven rack on the middle rack of your oven. Place a large, heavy ovenproof frying pan or a cast-iron skillet (I like to use my 10-inch cast-iron skillet), in the oven until hot and sizzling. While pan is heating, prepare your batter.
NOTE: Use a shallow pan, not more than 3 inches deep (pie pans, cast-iron skillets, oven-proof fry pans, baking dishes, paella pans). Like I said before, I prefer using a cast-iron skillet or pan because it acts as a heat reservoir, retaining the heat and distributing it evenly.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a blender until light and frothy; add milk, flour, vanilla extract, and cinnamon; beat for 5 minutes more. The batter will be thin, but very smooth and creamy.
Using a pot holder, remove the hot skillet from the oven; add the butter; tilting the pan to melt the butter and coat the skillet.
Pour the prepared batter into the hot skillet, all at once, and immediately return the skillet to the oven.
Bake approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until puffed and golden brown (bake until the pancake puffs up around the edges - it may puff irregularly in the center).
Remove from oven and serve immediately. Either bring the pancake to the table in its pan or slide it onto a serving plate. Once out of the oven, the pancake will begin to deflate.
To serve, cut into serving-size wedges and transfer to individual serving plates. Top with blackberries, drizzle with warm honey and serve immediately. Or for a a classic German Pancake/Dutch Baby, sprinkle with freshly squeezed lemon juice, and dust the top with powdered sugar.
Topping Ideas:
Sifted powdered (confectioners) sugar
Fresh applesauce with a dash of cinnamon
Whipped cream and sliced fresh strawberries
Syrups (maple, your favorite fruit syrup, or honey)
NOTE: If you have different sizes of pans adjust your batter accordingly.
Pan Size Butter Eggs Milk and Flour
2-3 qt. ¼ cup 3 ¾ cup each
3-4 qt. 1/3 cup 4 1 cup each
4-4½ qt ½ cup 5 1¼ cups each
4½-5 qt ½ cup 6 1½ cups each
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