Dutch Baby with Stewed Apples, Cardamom Cream and Pinot Noir Salt

In our opinion, a Dutch Baby is the ideal brunch dish — it has the wow factor with minimal work (hello, blender). This decadent take by Sofia Branco Craft celebrates fall flavors like apples, cardamom and a little Pinot Noir, but you can easily riff on the recipe with any in-season fruit and your favorite spices.

Recipe and photos by: Sofia Branco Kraft

Process

Make the Stewed Apples

Preheat the oven to 425°F in preparation for the Dutch Baby. In the meantime, heat a small pan on medium heat. While that heats up, wash and slice the apples into small wedges. Add 2 tbsp of honey to the pan and warm until the honey bubbles in the pan. Add the apples to the honey. 

Stir and coat the apples in honey. The apples will release their moisture into the pan and allow them to cook down until most of the liquid has evaporated (about 5 minutes); stir regularly. Once the apples are softened and browned, turn off the heat and add 1 tbsp of butter, and set the pan aside.  

Make the Dutch Baby

Once the oven is preheated, place your cast iron or glass pan in the oven for 10 minutes. A couple of minutes before the timer for the pan is up, add flour, salt, eggs, milk and vanilla to a blender (or mix by hand) until all of the ingredients are combined. 

Pull the cast iron out of the oven (be sure to shut the oven) and add 2 tbsp of butter to the pan and coat the base of the pan with the butter as it melts. Then immediately pour the mixture into the hot pan and place it back in the oven. Bake for 18-23 minutes until the center is golden brown and the edges are a darker brown. 

Make the Cardamom Cream

While the Dutch Baby is in the oven, in a clean mixing bowl, whisk the cold heavy whipping cream with sugar and cardamom on medium until medium peaks form. I recommend the cream to be on the softer side (in the end, this is about personal preference), so be careful not to overwhip!

Assemble

Remove the Dutch Baby from the oven and serve immediately with the stewed apples and cardamom cream on top. Finish with a generous sprinkling of Pinot Noir Salt.