Dutch baby with brûléed figs
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Dutch baby with brûléed figs
This sharing-style, oven-baked pancake makes an impressive dessert or brunch dish. Work swiftly to add the toppings before it deflates
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Spencer Lengsfield
Our Senior Food Producer Spencer was born in Los Angeles, so has an inherent love for all things Mexican, Japanese, and Korean but is also heavily influenced by her family’s Louisiana heritage. She loves spice, bright flavours, and fusion food, and she has a soft spot for a chocolate chip cookie.
Spencer Lengsfield
Our Senior Food Producer Spencer was born in Los Angeles, so has an inherent love for all things Mexican, Japanese, and Korean but is also heavily influenced by her family’s Louisiana heritage. She loves spice, bright flavours, and fusion food, and she has a soft spot for a chocolate chip cookie.
Ingredients
- 160ml whole milk
- 100g plain flour
- 3 medium eggs
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 75g mascarpone
- 150ml double cream
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 45g unsalted butter
- 50g pistachios, roughly chopped
For the figs
- 1 x 140g pack figs, halved
- 3 tbsp demerara sugar
Step by step
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Heat the milk in a small saucepan over a low heat until just warm to the touch (about 1-2 minutes). Add to a blender along with the flour, eggs, salt, caster sugar and half the vanilla paste. Blend on a high speed until smooth. Set aside to rest in the blender jug for 30 minutes.
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Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7. Put the mascarpone, cream, icing sugar and remaining vanilla paste in a large bowl and whisk until it reaches mediumstiff peaks. Set aside in the fridge.
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Put an ovenproof cast-iron or heavy-based frying pan (approx. 28cm diameter) into the oven for 5 minutes to heat up. Using oven gloves, carefully remove the hot pan, then add the butter and swirl to melt and coat the base and sides. If the batter has separated, briefly re-whizz it in the blender or give it a shake, then pour it into the centre of the hot pan. Carefully return the pan to the oven, leaving plenty of space between shelves for it to rise. Bake for 15 minutes, or until puffed up, crisp and golden.
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Meanwhile, arrange the fig halves on a baking tray and thoroughly pat them dry with kitchen paper. Top each one with a sprinkle of demerara sugar and use a cook’s blowtorch to brûlée them until they’re golden and melted, with a few little dark patches.
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Once the dutch baby is cooked, work quickly: dollop over the mascarpone cream, then top this with the brûléed figs and chopped pistachios, and serve immediately.
No cook’s blowtorch? Caramelise the figs for a few minutes under a medium-hot grill before you bake the dutch baby – just keep a close eye to avoid burning them.
