Savory Dutch Baby with Ham and Gruyere
What is a Dutch Baby?
I first introduced the concept of this oddly named dish in a post for a gluten-free sweet version with peaches. It’s really a crepe/popover/pancakey made from an egg heavy batter and can go any direction: simple with powdered sugar or maple syrup, sexy with a little fruit and chocolate drizzle, seasonal with whatever fruit is happening at the moment or savory with pretty much anything on top that you would stuff into a savory crepe. Honestly, I’m really impartial to what goes on top, but the Dutch Baby, in general, is one of the quickest ways to get dinner on the table fast but with a little finesse.
Savory Dutch Baby with Ham and Gruyere in under 30 Minutes
From start to finish, you’re looking at 25-30 minutes tops for a complete meal. The batter is all whirled up in a blender then baked in a hot oven for only about 15 minutes. While it’s cooking, you can easily pull together toppings and a simple side dish such as the arugula salad with lemon juice and olive oil that I served alongside. A little jam offsets the salty ham so I always like to have some around to serve with it. This time I used Jalapeno Cranberry Orange Sauce leftover from Thanksgiving, but I’ve used cherry and strawberry in the past. Oh, and one thing I forgot to mention…this version is Paleo friendly if you leave off the cheese and use a naturally sweetened jam. (Try my super easy, no-pectin Paleo Strawberry Jam.)
Savory Dutch Baby with Ham and Gruyere
If you are dairy tolerant, use real butter and good Gruyere cheese. I am still easing my way back into dairy and have to pick my battles so I do not overdo it. Myokos butter tastes like the real thing so I used it in order to fully enjoy the cheese. If you’re dairy intolerant, skip the cheese, too. It will still be good especially if you use a good jam with the ham.
Ingredients
10 eggs
1 cup Paleo Flour Blend (Such as Bob’s Red Mill) or your favorite Gluten-Free Flour Blend
1 cup milk (I used almond milk)
3/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp regular or dairy free (I use Myokos) butter, softened
Diced ham and shredded Gruyere for topping
Strawberry, Cranberry or Cherry Jam to serve
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Liberally coat 2 9″ cast iron skillets or glass pie plates with cooking spray (I used Chosen Foods Avocado Oil spray)
- In a blender, whirl eggs for a couple of minutes until they are frothy.
- Add flour blend, salt, milk, and butter to make a thin batter.
- Divide evenly between the two prepared pans.
- Place in the oven and bake 10-15 minutes or until it is very puffy.
- Top each with half the ham and cheese and return to oven until the ham is warm and cheese is melted.
- Cut into eighths (or if you’re our family, fourths) and serve with jam.