I dreamed of this recipe before I even knew it yet. Week after week of being without a kitchen had me pondering what my first dish would be once it was back up and running. This one was definitely a top contender, and of course my classic chocolate chip cookies were in demand but you see, this recipe couldn’t really be planned. Between not knowing exactly when the oven would be hooked up or the water running and a booked flight to South Carolina, would I even get to make something before I left?
Well, yes. I kind of forced that I did. I woke up early Saturday morning to make a surprise (early) Father’s Day breakfast, complete with bacon and croissants and this dutch baby pancake without having any ingredients in the fridge indoors (aside from sauvignon blanc, obviously), no running water, and absolutely no real understanding of my new beast of a stove.
Yet I woke up on a mission – totally thinking it’s fine. As I began to prep breakfast and actual ignite my stove top, I realized that this may have been a bigger task than anticipated. To start, I had no idea how to actually turn on my left oven. My new Keurig completely threw me for a loop. I kept realizing I needed to rinse my hands or a cooking utensil and then would have to dart to the bathroom for the sink. Eggs and butter and milk and bacon and fresh fruit all had to be grabbed from the garage. Every bowl had to be wiped free of dust before use. So needless to say, it was a process. But man, can I just say the moment we all sat together in the new eat in bay window to eat?
Completely worth the chaos. All of it. The noise and the dust and the tools and the long five months and the decisions big and small. I finally felt like we were exactly in the home my family was supposed to have. Bonus that we were chowing down on this delicious, impressive, and easy breakfast together and for just one small moment, before football and packing and baseball and last minute errands and the construction noise of the day began, things were at peace.
Thank you, Tina, for the incredible recipe!
- 3 large egg
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (more or less to taste)
- Pinch of salt
- 4 tablespoons butter
- Powdered sugar
- Lemon wedges
- Heat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk egg, sugar, flour, milk, extract and salt together until the batter is blended but lumpy; you can also do this in a blender.
- In a 12-inch ovenproof frying pan (cast iron if you have one), melt the butter. Add cherries and cook until warmed, about 2 minutes. Pour in batter and transfer to heated oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.
- Remove pancake from oven and quickly dust with powdered sugar and squeeze lemon juice over. Serve. Also great with REAL maple syrup.
- Because this oven pancake does lose its puff after baked, it’s best to bake directly before serving. It won’t deflate entirely, but its appearance will be most dramatic just out of the oven.
