Tree Fruit - Apples, Figs, Stone Fruits, Avocado, Citrus

[nctomatoman]

Some of you have probably heard of Dutch Babies - kind of a pan baked popover with fruit, just an incredible breakfast. We ate these several times when in Oregon at various B&Bs. They are ridiculously easy, but really one of the best things you can eat for breakfast. Here's how...

Preheat the oven to 425 deg.
Use a teflon skillet - about 12 inches across and 3 inches tall, with a flat bottom but not sharp edges - sort of like a large omelet pan, that can go into the oven. Into the skillet put about 3 tbsp of butter and put in the preheated oven to melt the butter as you make the batter and prepare the fruit.

You can go with whatever fruit you like - we've done just blueberries, just blackberries, a mix of the two, just sliced apples, or, like this morning, apples and blueberries. If you are using apples, use one medium to large apple, peeled and sliced thin, as for apple pie.

Into the bottom of the skillet with the melted butter, add the fruit (we add the apples first, then a handful of blueberries. Sprinkle with 1 tsp or more of ground cinnamon. Place into the oven to warm the fruit through (it will start to sizzle after 5 min or so).

In a bowl, break the eggs, add the flour, then milk. Use 1/3 cup of flour, 1/3 cup of milk, and one egg for person (in the 12 inch pan, the biggest we've gone is a 3 person version). Whisk the three ingredients together, then pour over the sizzling fruit. Bake at 425 for 25-30 min - it will puff up and brown nicely.

Cut into serving wedges, sprinkle with powdered sugar and top with real maple syrup....

MUST be served with fresh ground, good quality coffee made in a French Press!! (just kidding...the coffee snob coming through).

You can really get this into the oven in about 5 minutues - once you try it, good luck - you will be addicted! (and it is much less heavy/fattening/easier to make than waffles or pancakes!)

[montanamato]

Craig....We make them in cast iron skillets, and they are my kids favorite breakfast or dinner...Of course they prefer them w/o fruit...The skillets keep the food warm for about 20 minutes if needed...We have made some 12 egg versions when cooking on cattle drives and they always come out great...It is a very forgiving recipe and can be made eggier if a custard type version is liked...I like to make a plain one with vanilla paste and fresh grated nutmeg , and just a touch of real maple syrup....In the winter we eat these for dinner often, when nothing is thawed out or it is getting late...

Jeanne

[felpec]

We're starting to get some decent peaches, and this is a quick and easy peach cobbler. I've cooked this in a Dutch oven over a campfire, too. It's not really the traditional type of cobbler, but we think it's pretty good. Our wild raspberries are just ripening, so I usually throw in a handful or two over the peaches.

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
A cuppa flour, a cuppa sugar, a cuppa milk (1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches, with the juices (about 3 or 4 peaches)

1. To peel fresh peaches, dip peaches in boiling water. Leave for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. You’ll start to see the peel separating from the flesh. Take out of the water – you can immerse them in ice water if you don’t feel like burning your fingers peeling them while they’re still hot. Slice over a bowl so you save all the juice.
2. Put the butter in an ovenproof dish (mine is a 2-1/2 quart oval baker) and put in the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. While the butter is melting, mix up the batter by combining the cuppas, baking powder, and salt.
3. When the butter is completely melted, remove the pan and pour the batter into the melted butter. Then, carefully spoon the peaches and juice evenly over the batter. Return dish to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
4. As the cobbler cooks, the batter will rise up and around the peaches.
5. If fresh peaches are not in season, you can substitute frozen unsweetened peaches. Don’t even bother using canned peaches.

[gardenpaws_VA]

Now that it's getting toward strawberry time - have fresh lemon juice, powdered sugar, and cut up strawberries ready when the dutch baby/popcake is done. Pull it out of the oven halfway, sprinkle with lemon juice and powdered sugar, and return to oven so that the sugar crusts slightly. Remove from oven, add fresh berries, and enjoy.

[strmywthr3]

what's the custard version? recipe? these sound yummy!

[nctomatoman]

We've found that blueberries, apples, or a combination of both produce our favorite Dutch Babies. They are now our standard Sunday Morning breakfast!

[cottonpicker]

WOW ..... Gonna try that!!!!!!!!

[mresseguie]

Awesome idea!

Wouldn't you know it? I've lived in Oregon for 5 years now, and have never even heard of these. Sigh. I've got to open my eyes.

I'm going to try it in a couple days. I'll make it as an evening dessert for my wife and our son.

Thanks!

[babylark]

Ok...Now I'm hungary. This sounds like good dessert tonight.

[gardenpaws_VA]

If you really want dessert, make it adding the lemon-sugar crust as noted above, add room-temperature strawberries when it comes out of the oven, and top with slightly sweetened whipped cream. Don't cheat - no Cool Whip allowed!
Note to Craig - in the strawberry version, the berries do NOT get cooked, unlike the apple version.

[tessa]

wow. i'm definitely going to try these.

[akgardengirl]

The egg batter sounds like Swedish pancake batter. They are good also! Maybe I will make these instead of sourdough pancakes on Christmas eve.
Sue

[huxter09]

How about using tomatoes instead of the above mentioned fruit ---and add some herbs or maybe some chilli ?? --a more savoury "brekker" !!

[gardenpaws_VA]

It could work - you'd want to cut the tomato and drain any excess liquid before adding to the popcake, as otherwise you get an unappealing soggy mess, but I don't see why the flavors wouldn't work. If I were using tomatoes, I might even want to change from butter to olive oil or bacon fat, at least in part....

[tessa]

craig...this recipe totally rocked. thankyou.
we'll be having this again for christmas morning.
i've got blueberries and mulberries coming in that should go really nicely.