Raspberry Dutch Baby

I know... here I am, blogging about food again. But for Heaven's sake, stop the presses! Put down whatever you have in your hands and rush to your nearest Farmer's Market. Buy up all of their remaining Raspberries, because you are going to want to try a bite of this perfection:

 We are at the tail end of our Summer Raspberry crop. Yesterday, as I picked, I found myself alternating between extreme happiness that I could gain back about 8 hours a week, and such sadness over losing the fresh flavor of just-picked Raspberries, which happen to be my all-time favorite of the Berry Cousins.

Glancing down, and seeing the paltry collection of end-of-season misfits, I decided to do something extraordinary with them. Well, at the time, I thought it was pretty run-of-the-mill, just a re-mix of a family classic.

But one bite was all it took to let me know that I had been oh, so wrong. There is nothing ordinary about creamy, fluffy, tart and sweet, all mingled together in a puddle of buttery goodness.

Raspberry Dutch Baby

1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups white flour
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
8 eggs
raspberries, preferably fresh (but if you only have frozen, and as long as they aren't stuck together and you can sprinkle them over the top of the batter, then go right ahead) I used a full pound and a half, because that is exactly how much my bushes had to give.

Put the big ol' piece of butter in the pan of your choice (I use my 12 inch cast iron skillet, but you could use a baking dish too). Place the dish in your oven and preheat to 400.

Whisk together the milk, flour, salt and ginger until it is as smooth as you can get it. Don't worry about a smattering of small lumps. Add the eggs and whisk until fully combined.

Once the oven is hot and the butter in the pan is completely melted, remove the pan, swirl the butter around to coat all surfaces. there will still be a generous amount of liquid gold in your pan. I suppose you could pour the extra out, but what would Julia say?

Pour your egg batter into your pan, then generously sprinkle those berries over the entire surface.

Pop your pan back in the oven and wait for 20-30 minutes, or until the center is cooked through. Serve with a drizzle of local honey and nothing more.

You can thank me later.