Chocolate Dutch Baby + Weekly Menu

I think I may need a schedule change. With two nights a week spent away from home teaching, and another 1-2 nights for “date night” dinners, I feel as though my dinner-making is suffering. However, my kitchen time is not.

With all the fun winter citrus in season (namely Meyer lemons and blood oranges), baking has taken the place of dinner-making because I can do it at any time.

(It is no mystery as to why the scale fails to tread downward!)

Unlike some recent creations, this one comes with a much kinder calorie count. Worst case scenario, you eat the WHOLE Chocolate Dutch Baby. Worst case scenario, that’s under 950 calories. Glass half-full, folks…glass half-full.

Best case scenario, a generous slice runs a mere 118 calories…and you feel no guilt over eating chocolate or dessert. You’ll think you just hit the “diet dessert” lottery. Added bonus for any low-carbers or diabetics — this recipes comes in at 14.4 grams of carbohydrate per serving!

You heard it here first, mkay?

Before giving any thought to actually Googling, “What is a Dutch baby?” I perused the ingredient list only to find out that I had every ingredient on hand. Chances are, you do, too.

It wasn’t until after tasting the Chocolate Dutch Baby that I 1) fell in love, and 2) Googled to find out what the heck a Dutch Baby actually is.

As it ends up, it’s more than just a cute, random name. Who knew?

Traditionally, a Dutch baby is a breakfast item and is described as being very similar to a pancake (I would say “crepe” is more accurate, but I’m on the right path). The Dutch baby has German roots and is generally baked in a metal pan, such as a cast iron skillet.

Seeing as this Dutch baby contains chocolate and is mildly sweet, I consider it a dessert…that’s on the lighter side. They come together in less than 5 minutes and are likely to only stick around that long once being removed from the oven. I have to say, Dutch babies have me as a fan club member — delicious!

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Chocolate Dutch Baby slightly adapted from Shutterbean and Fooddoodles

3/4 cup 2% milk
3 large eggs
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 425 F (or prepare a pie dish by buttering with the 2 tablespoons of butter).

To prepare the batter, whisk everything together, being sure to sift the cocoa powder so that there are no lumps.

Once well mixed and the oven is hot add the butter to the hot cast iron skillet and swirl around to melt and coat the pan. Once melted, pour the batter in and place into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until the dutch baby is puffed up around the edges and completely set in the middle. When done, remove from the oven and cool for about 5 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar.

Yield: 8 slices (1/8th of a 10-inch “pie”).

Nutrition Information (per slice): 118 calories; 5.4 g. fat; 83 mg. cholesterol; 108 mg. sodium; 14.4 g. carbohydrate; 1.8 g. fiber; 3.4 g. protein

Result: This is like a giant chocolate crepe in thin-cake form. Having never had a Dutch Baby before, I had no idea what to expect. What drew me to the recipe was the low sugar content for a dessert…and the fact that it was chocolate. For 118 calories, you’ll feel like you’re getting a HUGE portion of delicious dessert…it’s almost too good to be true!

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It is complete coincidence that this week’s menu is all fish and seafood and I can’t say I mind at all, whatsoever!

Weekly Menu: January 29th – February 2nd

• Sunday: Fancy Fish Sticks with Oven-Fried Onion Rings
• Monday: Blackened Salmon with asparagus and potatoes
• Tuesday: leftovers
• Wednesday: Rockin’ Red Curry Shrimp Soup
• Thursday: leftovers

I’ve got some serious lesson planning and grading to get done today. I’d also love to learn everything there is to know about Lightroom ASAP. With Picnik gone as of April, I need a solid back-up plan for photo editing! But of course, Lightroom isn’t what I would call “user friendly” by any stretch of the imagination.

Lots to do before dinner and hockey.

Be well,