Aunt Deanie's German Pancakes/Dutch Babies

German Pancakes

​There are many recipes I could contribute from my Auntie because she was a gourmet cook with a gourmet kitchen, who always looked fabulous IN the kitchen. 

My Aunt Deanie (her name was Madina, but she preferred to be called, Deanie), was the beautiful older sister of my Mother. She was my one-and-only Aunt. 

Now, about the German Pancakes, which we called Dutch Babies. In a restaurant, these are served from the hot pan, straight from the oven and prepared table-side. Heaps of real butter are added first, then warmed lemons squeezed over them, topped off with sifted powdered sugar. Not a dish to be be eaten with any regularity.

 Although she cooked these at home, her real joy was going to the Ol' South Pancake House and ordering them. Honestly, being in a restaurant with her could make me cringe on occasion. She was one of those truly strong women (like my Mother), she knew what she wanted and was keen to let others know as well. So, when ordering these pancakes, she gave very specific instructions...extra lemon, very warm, extra butter, extra powdered sugar on the side. 

Throughout her life, she was truly my second Mother, I spent a lot of time with her and her home was my second home. I loved being with her for a plethora of reasons. While my Mother had a sense of style that was classic, her evening wear was flash, and I learned so much from her. However, her big sister tended to be trendy, and flash which intrigued me from an early age.

In the kitchen she always looked like a fashion model. A model wearing an apron. Unlike my Mother, she cooked while teaching me, sharing her tips, plus she liked the help. She clipped recipes from the newspaper and gave them a try. She checked the grocery store sales in the newspaper each week, and made her list. But, like her younger sister, my Mother, she had her staple dishes she cooked with regularity. 

My Aunt and my Mother would get together and do home canning with fresh vegetables. This was something they decided to stop doing when they realized they were not really saving money, and it was less expensive to simply buy the food already in the store. However, canning worked for them as a pair in the kitchen. Creating dinners? Not so much. When together, one cooked, the other kept her company.

I will add more of her recipes as Whisking Up Treasured Recipes continues.

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AUNT DEANIE'S (MADINA) GERMAN PANCAKES/DUTCH BABIES

Preheat over to 450 degrees.

1 Tablespoon Butter
½ Cup Whole Milk (adjust milk type to your preference)
½ Cup Flour
2 Eggs-Slightly Beaten
Dash Salt
Dash Cinnamon
Splash Vanilla (may be omitted)
Warmed Lemons (optional)
Powdered Sugar (optional)
Syrup (optional)
Butter (amount used on regular pancakes)

Place butter into a 9-inch square baking dish, and put into the preheating oven.

Whisk milk, flour and eggs together in a large bowl. Add the salt, cinnamon and vanilla. Stir.

When ingredients are fully combined, remove baking dish from oven, pour mixture in, return to oven.

Bake for 15 minutes (time could be less depending on the oven).

When ready, it will be puffy and the edges will be slightly brown. Once removed from oven, it will lose the puffiness. Immediately add butter. She used ample, like on regular pancakes.

While the pancake is baking, warm lemons by placing on pan and putting in oven for a few minutes, or microwaving (time depends on size). Keep warm until the pancake is ready to serve.
 
This is where you do things to your taste. The options are: Liberally squeezing warm fresh lemon juice over them, sprinkling them with powdered sugar, using syrup or syrup reduction.

German Pancakes may easily be used as a savory dish. 

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