I’ll never forget Coachella 2018 for many reasons. The main one being BEYONCE´ (duh). The second being the restaurant I randomly stumbled upon in Palm Springs. One of my favorite things to do when visiting a new place is to find a random hole in the wall restaurant and try something new. This particular day I escaped from the group and happened upon Elmer’s Restaurant. To my surprise Elmer’s was actually a pretty popular breakfast spot known for their German Pancakes, or Dutch Baby Pancakes since 1960.

If you’ve never had or heard of a Dutch Baby Pancake, it’s pretty much a hybrid between a pancake, crepe and a popover that all comes together in a hot buttery skillet. They’re so simple and fun to make and I love how they puff up on the sides. And if you know me, you know I also love anything that I can personalize, so these are the perfect dish to tailor to whatever you have on hand. I love the classic, lemon, powdered sugar and butter version, but since fall is in full swing, I decided to add in some fresh Pink Lady apples and a decadent apple cider sauce to accompany.

Have fun with this sweet treat that’ll replace your normal pancake Sunday and delight even the biggest pancake haters.

-Cortni @heycortnay

Dutch Baby fresh out of the oven.

Dutch Baby fresh out of the oven.

Apple Cider Syrup 

Ingredients
  • 3 cups apple cider

  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

  • 1/2 cup of water

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dutch Baby 
  • 2 eggs room temperature

  • 1/2 cup of whole milk room temperature

  • 1/2 cup of sifted flour

  • Pinch of Nutmeg

  • Pinch of salt

  • 1 tablespoon of Vanilla

  • 1/4 cup of sugar

  • 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

  • Confectioners sugar

  • 1 large pink lady apple, peeled and sliced 1/4” thick

  • 1 tablespoon of light brown sugar

Directions 

Peel and slice Pink Lady apples.

Apple Cider Syrup 

Bring cider, vinegar, water butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently, whisking occasionally, until thick and syrupy, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Syrup can be made up to 1 week ahead if stored and chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Dutch Baby

Step 1: Melt 2 Tbsp. Unsalted butter in a 10” skillet, over medium heat. Add sliced and pealed pink lady apple and sprinkle with brown sugar and ½ tsp. cinnamon. Cook, stirring often, until apple is softened, about 4-5 minutes. Set aside.

Step 2: Wipe out cast iron. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.Place 10 inch cast iron skillet in oven. Make sure it gets really hot.

After it’s baked, pour sauce on top and eat!

Step 3: In a medium bowl, whisk eggs until light and blended. Add in milk and stir. Gradually whisk in sifted flour then add nutmeg, flour, sugar, salt and vanilla until combined well.

Step 4: Remove skillet from oven and reduce oven heat to 425 degrees. Melt butter in hot skillet and make sure the inside of the skillet is fully coated with butter.  Place softened apples into middle of skillet. Pour batter on top.

Step 5: Bake until batter is puffed and light to golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Remove and drizzle with apple cider syrup. Cut into wedges and serve with confectioners sugar.