A "Super Awesome" Homemade Life

I am a reader. An uber reader actually. (At times I've been known to read an average of a book and a half to two plus a week. I'm talking 300-400+ page books). Sadly, lately I've been slacking. I just haven't been in a reading mood. Which is unusual for me. But, anyways... last week, I got back into the swing of things. To ease myself back into the process, I'm starting with a "half cookbook, half recounting a family life with the kitchen as it's heart" style book called A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg (also known as the creator of the infamous blog, Orangette). I'm slowly but surely making my way through the book, savoring and salivating at every page. Each chapter/recipe I read, the more I want to keep reading. But I'm trying to pace myself because at the same time, I don't want it to be over.

Today, I got a sneak peak of a menu at a new restaurant opening soon. Since it hasn't opened quite yet, I can't reveal deets (don't worry you'll hear all about it soon enough), but I do have two words for you : donut sandwich. 'Nuff said, right? Anyways, the menu is half carb-a-licious and half farmers market delight. Surprisingly, after taste testing this blend of carbs and farm fresh noshes, I was still hungry for more in the evening. Sometimes eating fresh and delicious things just makes you hungry for even more fresh and delicious-ness. Am I right? And for some reason, I had my heart set on pancakes. So I thought I'd take a gander through the Orangette archives. Since I'm currently reading her first book (she's in the process of writing her second, possibly titled Delancey about opening a restaurant in Seattle with her husband), I thought it would be appropriate to try one of her recipes on for size. I was in luck. I found this posting for Jimmy's Dutch Baby Pancakes.

Part souffle - part pancake - all goodness. I was not disappointed. Topped with clarified butter, lemon juice and ye old powdered sugar, you can't really go wrong. And, with only a few ingredients, it's super easy to whip up. I'd never made Dutch Baby pancakes before, but they are for sure going to be a household name from now on. I halved it since I was only serving myself and didn't plan on completely carbing-out and eating a whole "baby cake" by myself (which was wise because I found myself struggling to eat half even though my eyes wanted to eat the whole thing). Trust me, it's worth a try. And you'll feel like your life is pretty super awesome and satisfying after making & eating it as well.

Jimmy’s Dutch Baby Pancakes
Jimmy likes to make his babies in two 6-inch cast-iron skillets, but you can also make this recipe in a single 10- or 11-inch one.
For the pancakes:
4 Tbs unsalted butter (or, if you’d prefer to try it as we did with today’s happy butter accident, try using 6-8 tablespoons, and then do not add clarified butter when serving)
4 large eggs
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup half-and-half
For the topping:
4 oz clarified butter (or, if you’re not into clarifying, simple melted butter will do)
Juice of 1 lemon
Powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Divide the 4 Tbs butter between two 6-inch cast-iron skillets, and melt it over low heat. In a blender, whir together the eggs, flour, and half-and-half. Pour the batter into the skillets over the melted butter. Slide the skillets into the oven, and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the puffed pancakes from the oven, transfer them to a plate or shallow bowl, and pour on clarified butter, sprinkle on lemon juice, and dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediately. Serves two.