Our youngest grandson doesn't understand what all the fuss is about.
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Remember General MacArthur's, "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away"? Well, there are also recipes that refuse to die, but unlike the general, they ebb and flow, rather than fade away. David Eyre's famous recipe for baked pancakes can be counted in their number. Craig Claiborne first wrote about the pancake in 1966 following a brunch he enjoyed in the home of Eyre while vacationing in Hawaii. The pancake looks a bit like a Dutch Baby but it is more delicate in flavor and can best be described as a cross between a pancake and a crepe. A simple batter is poured into a sizzling butter bath and baked. While in the oven it poofs to perfection before sinking under its own weight into a thin layer of eggy goodness. This effortless confection has never lost its popularity with those who have tasted it. It is a classic case of once bitten. If you have never made it, I hope you'll give this recipe a try. You, too, will become a convert at first bite. As an aside, David Eyre died in 2008 at the age of 96. His daughter told Amanda Hesser that his last supper was the pancake. I thought his signature pancake would be a perfect feature for Shrove Tuesday.
David Eyre's Baked Pancakes...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of The Essential New York Times Cookbook, Martha Stewart and Food52
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
Directions:
Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Combine flour, milk, eggs, and nutmeg in a bowl. Beat lightly. Leave batter a little lumpy. Melt butter in a 12-inch skillet with a heatproof handle. When it is very hot, pour in batter. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pancake is golden brown. Sprinkle with sugar and return briefly to oven. Sprinkle with lemon juice, and serve with jelly, jam, or marmalade. Yield: 2 to 4 servings.
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