JANUARY 2020 79
CROQUE
MADAME 2.0
In 2015, Jonathan
Brooks became the
first chef to win the
Food & Wine Best
New Chef award
without serving
dinner. Brooks’ India-
napolis restaurant,
Milktooth, is all about
breakfast. There are
always two Dutch
babies on the menu:
a sweet one driven
by seasonal fruit
(think cherry pie or
peach Melba) and a
savory one inspired
by global dishes, like
this Polenta Dutch
Baby with Ham and
Swiss (see p. 81 for
the recipe). “For us,
Dutch babies have a
lot of wow factor but
don’t take someone
standing over a
griddle and flipping,
so they’re economi-
cal,” Brooks says.
It’s a crowd-pleasing
lunch or brunch
pancake—once it’s
out of the oven, its
puffed-up center
gradually sinks down
to yield a rich, savory
round that’s light
and airy in the
center with a hint of
chewiness and crisp,
toasted edges.HEAT IT UP
Brooks recommends preheating the skillet on
the stovetop so that the batter can start to cook
immediately once it’s dropped in, keeping the
oven time to a tight 6 or 7 minutes.