Dutch Baby Pancake with Blueberries

Dutch Baby Pancake with Blueberries

 The Dutch baby pancake's history begins with a German-inspired pancake popularized in Seattle at Manca's Cafe in the early 1900s, where the owner's daughter supposedly coined the name "Dutch baby" as a mispronunciation of "Deutsch," meaning German. This large, oven-baked pancake is a variation of a German Pfannkuchen but has a distinct popover-like texture, with the name being a nod to its German origins despite being developed in America.   

Ingredients

• ½ cup packed all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• ⅔ cup milk, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons clarified butter, melted
• ⅓ cup fresh blueberries, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• ½ Meyer lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup, or to taste (Optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Combine flour, salt, vanilla extract, eggs, and milk in a high-speed blender. Blend on high speed until completely smooth and very thin, about 1 minute.
3. Place a 9- or 10-inch cast iron skillet over high heat; add clarified butter into the skillet and use a pastry brush to grease the sides. Heat butter until just starting to smoke.
4. Quickly and carefully pour the batter into the center of the skillet, then sprinkle blueberries over top. Transfer skillet to the center of the preheated oven and bake until browned and nicely puffed, 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Carefully remove from the oven and immediately brush the top with melted butter. Squeeze lemon juice over top as Dutch baby deflates. Dust with powdered sugar.
6. Cut in wedges to serve and drizzle with maple syrup.

Notes

• Clarified butter is butter that I've melted and skimmed off the milk solids from the top, which leaves me with pure butterfat. 
• To make 3 tablespoons clarified butter, melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a small, heavy saucepan over low heat without stirring, being careful not to burn it. As butter melts, it will separate into 3 layers. Skim off the white foam with a spoon and save for another use. Remove the pan from heat when butter is melted and no more foam rises to the top. Let it cool until more solids settle to the bottom, about 5 minutes. Skim off any last bits of foam. Slowly spoon off the clear butterfat into a glass measuring cup, leaving as much of the solids behind as you can. Line a mesh strainer with several layers of cheesecloth and pour butterfat through the cheesecloth into a heat-proof bowl.
• You can use any fresh berry in place of blueberries.