Butter as a Means to Shamayim

Elana, I dedicate this, my first post on the 509 foodie blog, to you. I ask you to a conjure memory from our often painful, often smile-worthy teenage years and recall waking up on a Sunday morning at the Rayner Ranch to the smell of frying bacon and Dutch babies. No, the latter item does not refer to offspring of people from the Netherlands. Gross. Or maybe good, I don't have experience with it. Dutch babies refer to a light popover pancake whose batter puffs up into a golden mountain range with a delicate, crusty edge that rises above the cake pan.

While we usually had Papa Pete to thank for the awkwardness of cooking bacon for a Jewish girl, we had Mamma Linda, otherwise known as "Marge", to thank for those thin pancakes called Dutch babies, those vessels for melted butter, fresh squeezed lemon juice and powdered sugar, those little pieces of heaven.

Judging by previous posts, pictures of animals are a requisite for this blog. So I introduce everyone to my fat cat, Sundance. We often call him "Fatty," with the most endearing of intentions, of course. Rob and I believe Sundance has discovered the fast-track to the third, if not fourth layer of heaven, judging by the level of joy and enlightenment he exudes. We believe Sundance's trick is in the butter. The cat loves to eat, and he is damn good at it. He also likes sleeping, dangerously warm places, and eating while in dangerously warm places.

So maybe my cat photo and recipe have something in common: heaven.

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Dutch Babies

2 TB butter

2 large eggs (room temperature preferably)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

1 pinch salt

Lemon wedges

Powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch cake pan with butter (Linda typically used Crisco), and don't be shy about it. Place greased pan in the over for a minute until the grease melts.

2. Beat eggs slightly in a bowl with wire whisk. Beat in flour, milk and salt until just mixed (beat gingerly or theses babies lose their puff). Pour a ladle-full of batter into the warmed pan and return to the oven for 15-20 minutes or until sufficiently puffy and golden brown.

3. Serve hot off the press so as to enjoy optimal puffiness. The classic Rayner topping tradition includes fresh squeezed lemon juice and powdered sugar.

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By the way, Elana, you said this is an exclusive invite-only blog, yes? Why has Beyonce not posted yet? I want to know what she eats to get that fabulous ass. I bet there is butter involved.