The Dutch Baby (aka the puff pancake) has been a favorite of ours for awhile. But apparently it’s sort of a thing now; I’ve seen recipes for the puff pancake, both sweet and savory variations, kind of all over the place.
And why not? Whether you go sweet or savory, there’s pretty much no better breakfast or brunch dish than the Dutch Baby. It’s super easy to make, incredibly delicious and sooooo impressive. If the omelet and the popover got together, the Dutch Baby would be their love child.
For Mother’s Day brunch, I thought to do a Dutch Baby croque monsieur-style, topped with ham, Gruyere and the traditional dusting of powdered sugar. It did not disappoint. We enjoyed this with a few thyme-roasted cherry tomatoes on the side. Perfect.
croque monsieur style dutch baby (puff pancake with ham and gruyere) recipe
serves 3–4
3 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup minced fresh herbs (chives, thyme, parsley or a combination)
4 tablespoons butter
3–4 slices good-quality ham
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
Preheat oven to 425°. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, flour, milk and salt. Whisk until no lumps of flour remain, then whisk in herbs. Place a heavy, ovenproof 10-inch skillet in the oven; add butter and heat the butter until it melts. Carefully pour the batter into the hot pan. Bake 20 minutes, until the pancake is puffed and golden. Top the pancake with grated Gruyere, then arrange the ham slices on top. Reduce oven temperature to 300°; return the pancake to the oven and bake until cheese is melted and the pancake is deeply golden brown around the edges, about 5 minutes more. Dust with powdered sugar; cut into wedges and serve immediately.
Note: To make a sweet Dutch Baby, omit the herbs, ham and cheese and add 1 tablespoon granulated sugar to the batter. Serve with a generous dusting of powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice.
I saw your Mom at the nail salon just now. She raved about the meal. I’m particularly interested in the lemon tart recipe. Will you share it?
Hi, Belinda — thanks for the comment (say hi to my mom!). I can certainly share the lemon tart recipe; I need to make it again so I can photograph it. (Such hard work, I know!) So stay tuned, and thanks for reading!