Try your hand at Melissa Clark’s herbed Parmesan Dutch baby

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We’ve all been there before. Fretting over what to make for dinner when time is limited and the family is bored of eating the same thing again and again. New York Times food columnist Melissa Clark is determined to get us out of our nightly food rut with her latest book, “Dinner: Changing the Game.” Because few of us have the time for complicated recipes that involve a pantry of ingredients we don’t have.

Clark’s savory Dutch baby is a satisfying twist on the sticky sweet popover and only requires a few basic ingredients: flour, milk and eggs. Load these babies up with grated Parmesan, fresh herbs and cracked pepper, and what you get is “a giant gougère-style cheese puff meets Yorkshire pudding, with a crisp outer crust and a soft, cheesy, custardy interior.” It doesn’t get any better than that. Clark says they are the perfect accompaniment to any meal or hors d’oeuvre at a dinner party when paired with a gin martini.

HERBED PARMESAN DUTCH BABY

Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
1 cup + 2 tbsps all-purpose flour
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 large eggs
¾ cup whole milk
2 tbsps fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped (plus more for garnish)
2 tbsps minced fresh chives or tarragon, plus more for garnish
6 tbsps unsalted butter
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Flaky sea salt, for garnish
Sriracha and/or lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Whisk the eggs into the flour mixture until just combined. Then stir in the thyme and chives.

Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast-iron or other oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Continue to cook until the butter smells nutty and turns brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Then swirl the skillet so the butter coats the bottom of the pan.

Now pour the batter into the skillet, and scatter the grated cheese and flaky sea salt over the top. Bake until the Dutch baby is puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Baking it a little less results in a softer interior though less rise; baking it a little more gives more puff and a drier interior; both ways are good.

Serve immediately and garnish with more thyme and chives, plus Sriracha and/or lemon wedges on the side if desired.

Reprinted from Dinner. Copyright © 2017 by Melissa Clark. Photographs copyright © 2017 by Eric Wolfinger. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.