12.14.16 Eggnog Dutch Baby with Spiced Cherry Cranberry Sauce
Breakfast is a big deal in our house. When your 1 year old decides his bedtime is around 6pm, it makes family dinner a bit tricky, and what with things like work and naps, family lunch is usually out of the question. But family breakfast is something we can pretty much always make work. And so, Forrest, Leo and I sit down each morning at the table together and feast.
It all starts with the coffee. The water boils, the beans are ground (Leo LOVES the sound of the coffee grinder, and usually laughs uncontrollably at this point), and the Chemex makes its way front and center on the counter. Before long, the adults are sipping coffee, while Leo snacks on Cheerios, and the real breakfast prep gets underway.
Most weekday mornings, we don’t get terribly fancy with breakfast - scramble up some eggs, slice up some fruit, get some toast going - but every so often, I like to make something special. Something to make a weekday morning feel a little more like a weekend (something I think we could all use more of). That something is usually a Dutch baby.
A giant, fluffy pancake, baked in a cast iron pan, a Dutch baby is a pretty ideal way to elevate weekday breakfast. With minimal ingredients and effort involved, one of these beauties can be ready to eat in under 20 minutes, which is just enough time to get the coffee made, chase the toddler around the house a few times, and prep some fruit to serve on top of it.
Our breakfasts these days have been accompanied by snowy views out the window and some holiday music (Sinatra, of course) in the background. And so, in keeping with the cozy holiday theme, my most recent Dutch baby experiment resulted in a rippling, golden brown, eggnog spiked pancake, covered in spiced sweet cherries and cranberries, cooked down slightly to create their own spicy, crimson syrup. A dusting of powdered sugar, and we we were ready to dig in. This is the stuff holiday breakfast dreams are made of.
Eggnog Dutch Baby with Spiced Cherry Cranberry Sauce
Serves 2
Dutch Baby:
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup flour
- ⅓ cup eggnog
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 Tbsp butter
- Powdered sugar for serving
Cherry Cranberry Sauce:
- ¾ cup frozen pitted sweet cherries
- ½ cup frozen cranberries
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ⅛ tsp ground ginger
- Pinch of salt
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Make the batter for the Dutch baby by whisking together the eggs, flour, eggnog, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until smooth.
3. Melt the butter in a 10” cast iron skillet over medium heat until just melted. Tilt pan to coat entire bottom of pan with melted butter, then pour batter into pan. Swirl pan to ensure batter forms an even layer across the whole pan, then transfer pan to oven. Bake at 425 degrees until well puffed and golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.
4. While Dutch baby bakes, make the sauce. Mix all ingredients for the cherry cranberry sauce together in a small saucepan until well combined. Place pan over medium heat and cook mixture, stirring occasionally, until fruit begins to break down and form a sauce, about 8-10 minutes.
5. The sauce and Dutch baby should be ready at about the same time. Once the Dutch baby is out of the oven, pour the cherry cranberry sauce into the center, and dust everything with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.
