baking + wool

This was one of those perfect little weekends--there were no obligations to meet, no significant errands to run, and lots and lots of down time. On Saturday morning, I spent a leisurely hour on the couch knitting a little Quince and winding this smoky gray ball of wool for the Log Cabin socks. Using this week's leftover blueberries, I made Eva's Blueberry Dutch Baby from her new book, First We Eat. (If you love baking and stunning photography, you must check out her website, Adventures in Cooking. It's such a treasure trove of inspiration!) Anyway, we're big fans of Dutch Babies in our house. If you've never had one, you should make one immediately--they're a glorious cross between a pancake and a popover. Typically, we default to the Dutch Baby with Lemon Sugar on Epicurious, but as soon as I saw Eva's dark and luscious blueberry version, I knew we'd have to try it! 

Don't let the beauty of this Baby intimidate you--it's actually quite simple and straightforward to make. First, you prepare a quick blueberry jam by combining blueberries, sugar, and water in a small pan and simmering until it thickens. It takes all of about 15 minutes to prepare and, really, it's the best kind of kitchen puttering one can do on a Saturday morning. Then, you preheat a cast iron skillet in the oven while you prepare all the ingredients. When the pan is scalding hot, drop in softened pats of butter until they sizzle and melt, then pour the batter in and bake until it's puffed and golden. Immediately top the Baby with the homemade jam, fresh blueberries, and almonds (I toasted mine for extra flavor) and eat warm from the oven with a glass of cold milk. The custardy pancake, combined with the sticky-sweet jam, the pop of ripe fruit, and the nuttiness of the toasted almonds, made this one of the best Dutch Babies I've ever had. 

Please pick up the ingredients and make one this weekend! I promise you won't regret it.