The Dutch House

Synopsis: A dysfunctional family story set in Philadelphia revolving around (of course) The Dutch House. Cyril Conroy makes a savvy investment and raises himself and family out of poverty. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate built by the Netherlands-born VanHoebeeks. His wife can’t deal with the ostentatious display, and ultimately leaves, leading to divorce. When Cyril remarries, well….. things would have been OK if he survived, but he had an early heart attack, so Evil Stepmom throws out Danny and Maeve. They spend quite a long time trying to come to grips with the life that was, and the life that is.

Nicholette’s Review: I consume a lot of books by audio, which is how I “read” this book. Narrated by Tom Hanks, it was wonderful! The book uses the Dutch House as a foil: to Cyril it represented achievement, to his wife Elna it represented everything wrong with the world, that some have so much and others so little. To Maeve and Danny it comes to represent not a place per se, but family, and belonging that they had once, then lost. Tom Hanks was superb as the narrator of this story, providing nuance and effortless emotion that’s not overdone. Would I have liked it as much in the written form? I think so, but I will say that Hanks telling of the story was impeccable! Rating 4/5

Corey’s Review: I also “read” this book via audio book and I have to admit, I don’t know if I would have liked it as much if I actually read it. Tom Hanks did such an amazing job narrating and portraying the characters in this story. It was a slow book for me which is why I don’t know if I would have enjoyed reading it. The family drama was so believable and the bond between Maeve and Danny made me think of my own brother and our relationship. While I enjoyed this book, I think it was mostly due to Tom Hanks and his ability to make the story come to life. Rating: 3/5

Menu: To complement The Dutch House, I tried my hand at a Dutch baby. This is something of a cross between a pancake, a crepe, or a popover. I’ve heard it described as a “fluffy pancake,” but mine definitely came out more like a crepe. Regardless, it was delicious, and an easy brunch for a family. Only after making it did I come to the discovery that the dish is probably of German origin, with someone doing a bad job of pronouncing “Deutsche.” Whoops! Well, it still was good, even if it’s not really Dutch.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter

3 eggs

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup milk, heated ~ 30 seconds in the microwave

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Confecgtioner’s sugar for dusting

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven and a large nonstick ovenproof skillet to 400 degrees

2) When hot, melt the butter in the pan.

3) combine all ingredients in a blender and mix completely.

4) Add the excess melted butter and combine

5) Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven. Pour the batter in the hot pan

6) Return to the oven and cook 20-25 minutes.

7) Using a spatula, remove the dutch baby from the pan and place on a cooling rack for a few minutes (so the bottom doesn’t get soggy).

8) Dust with confectioner’s sugar, cut into wedges and sev e with topp[ings of choice.