Nicholas Gavin is the Culinary Creative Director of ChefSteps, where he develops recipes and is responsible for making all the food look beautiful. Nick has worked at ChefSteps for over a decade; he and ChefSteps co-founder Grant Crilly worked together at Modernist Cuisine. Nick has worked in professional kitchens both in the United States and abroad, most notably at Mugaritz in San Sebastian, Spain.

Nicholas Gavin

Call them back-pocket recipes. Maybe you stow them in the smartphone that sits in your literal back pocket. Maybe they live in the back pocket of your mind. Either way, they’re always there when you need something simple and delicious in a pinch. Back-pocket recipes require no special equipment—they’re the dishes you make when you’re feeding a crowd of skiers in a minimally equipped Airbnb condo or a gaggle of teens gathered for a slumber party in your basement. They’ve helped you become the houseguest who always gets invited back, the Tinder date with whom nobody regrets heading home for a midnight snack, the adult child who’s the envy of her parents’ retirement village. Eggy, airy, and coated decadently in powdered sugar, our Dutch Baby Pancake is a back-pocket recipe you can pull out at most any occasion. Quick and easy, it requires little more than mixing together some simple ingredients and pouring them into a heated cast iron pan. From there, you just bake it, top as desired, and serve. We keep it simple with powdered sugar, lemon juice, and a little maple syrup, but you can get creative with all your favorite garnishes, spreads, and sprinklings. The whole shebang takes about 25 minutes, but get that pretty puff on the table even quicker by making the batter the night before. Either way, it’s an easy crowd-pleaser that’s bound to find a permanent place in your back-pocket repertoire—and in the happy hearts of the hungry people you love.

Perfectly Puffy Dutch Baby Pancake