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Ingredients
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons (one half stick) of unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
- Juice of half a lemon
Details
Servings 2
Adapted from food52.com
Preparation
Step 1
This recipe comes from The Essential New York Times Cookbook, and appeared in the Times in 1966. Forty years later, readers are still making the pancake with no less bliss. What keeps cooks faithful to one recipe is often some confluence of ease and surprise. Eyre’s pancake possesses both. A batter of flour, milk, eggs, and nutmeg is blended together, then poured into a hot skillet filled with butter and baked. Anyone confused? I didn’t think so. The surprise comes at the end, when you open the oven door to find a poufy, toasted, utterly delectable-looking pancake. It soon collapses as you shower it with confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice, slice it up and devour it. It’s sweet and tart, not quite a pancake and not quite a crepe. But lovable all the same. Cooking Notes: Don’t overmix the batter, or the pancake will be tough – a few lumps are fine. This is the moment to call your well-seasoned iron skillet into service.
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine the flour, milk, eggs, and nutmeg in a bowl. Beat lightly. Leave the batter a little lumpy.
Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet with a heatproof handle. When it is very hot, pour in the batter. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pancake is golden brown.
Add yours
Ok, now I want to make it again!
amanda, this reminds me a lot of the "dutch baby" pancake i use to make for my mom's breakfast in bed on their birthday. my sister and I never liked the "eggy" taste (we both associate that with french toast, something we both have bad memories with) and so we created a filling for the center.
we would thinly slice granny smith apples and caramelize them with brown sugar and cinnamon in a pan while the pancake baked and then when we took the pancake out, we would ladle this into the center of the pancake in place of the confectioner's sugar and lemon juice. it certainly changes the nature of the pancake, but the syrupy apples on top of the pancake made the most fantastic fall breakfast ever. i personally like it with the skins on (also easier that way) but peeled would work just as well.
i used to make them on only special occasions but the apple center was so well received they ask me to make it whenever I am home from college.
Like your variation! I, too, have bad french toast memories.
Doubled the recipe & made it (for the first time) in a large cast iron skillet. Added a hint of lemon zest to the recipe and a reduced mixed berry sauce for a side. Came out beautifully puffy and a great balance to the "Scottish Eggs" both of which were served for a brunch the other day.
Love, love, love Food 52 folks. Having so many trustworthy opinions and examples makes it easy to try new recipes and have them work!
So glad! And also happy to hear that what we set out to do -- create a site where crowdsourcing and curation and community result in a reliable source and fun place to be -- is working. Thanks for your thoughts!
The Pancake House in Fort Worth, Texas serves these and the recipe is a secret. The owner doesn't even let the staff know how to make them. He premixes everything before the staff shows up. I had always wanted to know how to make them. When I saw this recipe on Martha Stewart show I was so excited and immediately made them! So easy and delish! I so want the cookbook now!
I used to make this when first married in the 1970's. Made it
for my husband this morning--it came out perfectly just as I
remembered. He couldn't fathom pancakes without syrup
but didn't even want the jam I put out. Just crispy bacon and
we were set.
Like the touch of salt -- and very amused that you added yet more butter! Bravo!
Amanda, I was waiting for you to post this! It's one of my all time favorite breakfast recipes, shared with me by my houseguest brother this summer! I'm convinced that the best thing a houseguest can do is make their host these (dutch) babies.
@jeneric Oh! Chocolate would be nice, but I think the lemon is what makes this pancake shine!
And jeneric, glad yours turned out well. If you add chocolate next time, I won't tell anyone.
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