Dutch Baby!

OK. As you can tell by now I am not too much of a measuring kind of cook. But sometimes you just gotta. I've been thinking that poor old Paul (yeah, right) has been neglected lately because of my busy schedule. I wanted to leave him today feeling mighty fine. It's pretty simple to leave him feeling mighty fine, but today I decided to make him a Dutch Baby for breakfast. ( For some reason this sounds REALLY bad, but I swear that is not my intent)

So, ya gotta measure stuff to make a perfect Dutch Baby. Geez....I just keep getting in deeper and deeper.....( Get your mind out of the gutter). You're going to need a cast iron skillet.

Dutch Baby

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter, melted and divided
2 3/8 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 1/2 cup
3 tablespoons vanilla sugar, (see below or you can by it already made in specialty stores) plus extra for serving
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
Lemon wedges
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place 2 tablespoons of the melted butter into a 10-inch cast iron skillet and put it in the oven. Set the remaining tablespoon of melted butter aside to cool slightly. Wait 10 minutes, and make a cup of coffee for yourself, before assembling the other ingredients.

Place the flour, vanilla sugar, salt, milk, eggs and remaining tablespoon of melted butter into the bowl of a food processor or blender and process for 30 seconds. Simple. Carefully pour the batter into the preheated skillet. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the edges are puffed and brown. Sprinkle with additional vanilla sugar and serve with lemon wedges. I like Meyer lemons because they are so juicy and full of flavor. They're in season now, so you are in luck! The Dutch baby should just fall out of the pan when you turn it upside down on your plate.

Vanilla Sugar

Ingredients

* 1 vanilla bean, whole or scraped
* 2 cups granulated sugar

Directions

If vanilla bean is whole, slice down side of bean with back of knife and scrape seeds into airtight container with the sugar. Bury bean in sugar and seal tightly with lid. Let sit for 1 to 2 weeks. Use as regular, granulated sugar.

This fancy pancake is as big as your head. One person could not eat it alone unless you are Mama Cass after a week long fast. I love to sprinkle powdered sugar on this if I don't have any vanilla sugar. If you plan on doing this for the holidays, make your vanilla sugar today!

Now, after your Sweetie has gorged himself, and feels like a million bucks, ask him for his credit card, because you just need a few things on sale at the mall. Winner, winner, chicken dinner. ;)