Polo Lounge Dutch Apple Pancakes

The Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel has been serving this Dutch apple pancake since old Hollywood was actually new. It’s not really a pancake at all in the diner-stack sense. It’s a Dutch baby (sometimes called a German pancake or Bismarck) baked in a hot skillet until the batter rises up the sides and forms dramatic golden walls around a custardy center. Six eggs and the high oven heat are what make it puff.

The almond extract is the small detail that separates this version from every diner Dutch baby out there. Just an eighth of a teaspoon, but it gives the pancake a faint marzipan undertone that plays against the sweet baked apples. Skip it and you’ve got a perfectly fine Dutch baby. Use it and people taste something they can’t quite name.

Getting the skillet ripping hot before the batter hits is non-skip. The fat needs to sizzle the moment it touches, which is what creates the climbing-walls effect. Use a heavy skillet (cast iron is ideal) and grease it generously. Tilt the pan so the batter coats the sides, then lay the apple wedges flat in a single layer so each slice softens evenly.

Pro Tips

• Start with room-temperature eggs and milk. Cold dairy makes the batter sluggish and the pancake won’t puff as dramatically.
• Use firm tart apples like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp. Soft apples turn to applesauce by the time the pancake is set.
• Don’t open the oven for the first 30 minutes. The drop in temperature collapses the puff.
• Serve immediately. Dutch babies start to deflate within 5 minutes of leaving the oven.

Variations

• Swap apples for sliced ripe pears and skip the cinnamon for a lighter, more elegant brunch dish.
• Drizzle with warm maple syrup and a squeeze of lemon for the classic Pacific Northwest finish.
• Add a quarter cup of blueberries tucked between the apple wedges for a fruit-forward variation.