Goat Cheese, Chive and Smoked Salmon Dutch Baby

The biggest problem I have when I go out to brunch is deciding what to order. I love my savory egg dishes, but I also crave a bowl of oatmeal with fruit. Pancakes, waffles, or french toast? Sausage or bacon? If there was a way to have two bites of everything, I would be the happiest girl on the planet. My solution? Cook breakfast at home. Sure it takes more work, but this way I can have my cake and eat it too! For today's breakfast, I made a savory version of the much loved German pancake, the Dutch baby. Just in time for Easter, this goat cheese, chive, and smoked salmon dutch baby is sure to a winner on your table!

Recipe

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Goat Cheese, Chive and Smoked Salmon Dutch Baby

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: German

Keyword: pancakes

Servings: 4

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Dutch baby

• 4 large eggs
• ¾ cup all purpose flour
• ¾ cup milk
• dash of salt
• ¼ cup grated parmesan
• 1 scallion chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• 3 tablespoons butter

Remaining ingredients

• ¼ cup goat cheese softened
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• 4 ounces sliced smoked salmon

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Preheat 10 inch cast iron skillet or oven-proof skillet in oven for 15 minutes.
• Prepare batter. Combine eggs, flour, milk and dash of salt in a blender until smooth. The batter can also be mixed by hand. Add parmesan, scallion, and chives, stirring to combine.
• Remove hot pan from oven and add 3 tablespoons butter. Once butter has melted, carefully pour batter into the pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until pancake is puffed and golden. Lower temperature to 300 degrees and cook another 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine goat cheese with milk and chives until smooth.
• Remove pancake from oven. Top with smoked salmon and goat cheese spread. Serve immediately.

**Helpful Tips and Comments

The best thing about Dutch baby pancakes is how easy they are to prepare. There are certain tricks to help produce the fluffiest baby cake, but trust me, they are all easy to follow.

Similar to popovers, Dutch baby pancakes need high heat. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and preheat your pan for 15 minutes. Cast-iron skillets are the best equipment to use because they can retain heat exceptionally well. If you don't own one, you can use an oven-proof skillet.

Now it's time to prepare the batter. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and whiz together until combined. It's as easy as that!

The standard ratio for a Dutch baby is ⅓ cup flour to ⅓ cup milk to 1 egg. I decided to add more egg to make it denser and almost custard-like.

Melt butter in the hot pan and carefully add the batter. Bake the Dutch baby and watch the beauty rise to great heights.

As tempting as it may be, refrain from opening the oven until the pancake is done. Opening the oven will drop the temperature and deflate the pancake.

The Dutch baby will deflate as soon as you remove it from the oven, so make sure you have the smoked salmon and chive goat cheese ready. Top the pancake and serve immediately.

The goat cheese, chive, and smoked salmon Dutch baby cake is reminiscent of lox with a bagel, with the best parts, the cheese, herbs, and smoked salmon. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and watch the pancake disappear before your eyes.

For a fall version, try my pumpkin dutch baby cake with maple whipped cream. It's just as delicious!