Lemon Poppy Seed Dutch Babies

SERVES 8

My favorite place in the world is our little family cottage up on a lake in northern Ontario. It’s the kind of place where afternoons are spent lazing about reading novels, dinners are usually a smorgasbord of whatever’s in the fridge, and beers are cracked by around two o’clock in the afternoon. While most meals tend to be a bit haphazard, breakfast is always a production. Pancakes are a classic, but standing in front of the stove flipping while everyone else gets down to a rousing game of euchre is kind of a bummer. Luckily, Dutch babies are here to save the day.

Place two 9- or 10-inch cast iron skillets on the middle rack of your oven and preheat it to 450°F.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, lemon zest, and vanilla. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry and set aside.

When the oven has reached temperature, remove the skillets from the oven and place 1 tablespoon of both vegetable oil and butter into each. Carefully swirl them around to coat the bottom of each pan and quickly and carefully split the batter between the two skillets.

Place the skillets back in the oven, drop the temperature to 425°F, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the Dutch babies are ultra-puffy and golden brown.

Serve immediately, but don’t worry when all of that puffiness starts to fall. The edges should stay tall and proud, leaving you with lots of room for berries, lemon juice, icing sugar, butter, and maple syrup.