Among the many reasons why I love Harpswell are the perfect mornings. My description will not do justice to either the feeling or the atmosphere. It is the sense and smell of everything awakening, the sound of lobster boats on the water and the birds chirping. Especially in the summertime, I get excited to wake up early the next day to experience it all over again.
Sundays are known as the day of rest and recovery and spending time with family. To me, Sundays represent a time to be leisurely, and often, to make my family breakfast.
I think my love of a “special breakfast” was the beginning of my cooking journey. It is quite comical looking back, but since the age of about 7, I have loved surprising my parents with breakfast on the weekends. I would cook anything — chocolate soufflés, pancakes, crepes, blintzes, and poached eggs on toast, all with fruit on the side. However, the food was definitely not the best. I remember baking chocolate soufflés flat on a baking sheet. They rose into a pyramid. I have no idea how that happened, but I was still happy with my creation.
While I was cooking, I would not allow my parents out of their room until the table was set and everything was ready. (The chocolate soufflé morning, I kept them out of the kitchen for more than two hours. I feel bad looking back.) I would even rope my sister into helping me, but if you know her, she can hardly boil an egg. Nonetheless, it is a fond memory.
I still love to cook my family breakfast, but I don’t keep my parents in their room while I’m cooking! This month, I’m sharing one of my favorite breakfasts: Dutch baby pancakes, aka German pancakes. This dish is baked in the oven, and it is foolproof. Preheat the pan in the oven, blend your pancake mixture, melt butter in the pan while it is in the oven, then pour the mixture into the pan and bake! The pancake puffs up with large, golden-brown edges.
You can top it with anything you like, but since we are coming to the end of spring, rhubarb is in season! Whether you grow rhubarb on your own or purchase some from your local farmer, use about 1 cup of chopped rhubarb for this compote to top the pancake. I also topped the pancake with strawberry slices and powdered sugar. To serve, cut the pancake into slices, similar to a pizza. The recipe is a crowd-pleaser, and it is fast to make. If you love a special morning with homemade breakfast, try this pancake recipe.
Dutch baby pancakes with rhubarb compote
Makes: 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of salt
Garnish:
Fresh strawberries
Powdered sugar
Rhubarb compote:
1 cup fresh rhubarb
1/8 cup sugar
Splash of water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and place cast-iron pan in oven to heat.
While the oven is preheating, make the rhubarb compote by placing all the compote ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Boil until the rhubarb has released its natural juices, broken down and been reduced. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a blender, add in eggs, milk, flour, sugar and salt. Blend until smooth. Place the butter in the cast-iron pan until it melts, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the oven with the butter. Swirl around the butter so it coats the entire bottom of the pan. Pour the mixture in the center of the pan. Do not stir. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.
Top the Dutch baby with the rhubarb compote, fresh strawberries and powdered sugar.
