Best Self Blog/ When Life Gives You Lemons

Last week, I made a flavorful garlic ricotta toast --- but I ended up with waaay too much ricotta. I couldn’t bring myself to toss it, so it just sat there, on the fridge with my name on it staring at me every time I opened the fridge. So, when this week’s prompt came around, “if life gave you lemons”, I knew I had to do something extra. That’s when I thought of a Dutch baby, a giant puffy pancake that you can fill with anything, something so versatile that it could totally handle this savory twist !

The Procedure

I blended a basic Dutch baby batter with eggs, flour, milk, and a little lemon zest, 1 minced garlic clove, fresh rosemary and thyme.

While it rested, I heated a cast iron skillet in the oven. Once it was hot, I poured the batter into a skillet and popped it in the oven at 450 for about 15-17 minutes, keeping an eye on it as it cooked. Once the pancake cooled, I added spoonfuls of the leftover garlic ricotta to the center, topping it with fresh chopped prosciutto and micro-greens and finally topped with extra flaky salt. It was delicious.

Final Product

It came out golden and dramatic, with the ricotta melted right in the middle. I added arugula and chili oil on top, and suddenly this “leftover” dish felt like something off a brunch menu. Honestly, it turned

This came out way better than I expected. The Dutch baby was crispy on the edges, soft in the middle, but not underdone, and packed with flavor. The ricotta didn't melt fro the heat of the pancake, which was one of my first worries. I liked the creativity I had with plating the dish in the skillet, suddenly this “leftover” dish felt like something off a brunch menu, I feel that's what really made the dish.

I’d 100% make this one again, it took close to no time and was a great way to use the odds and ends from the back of the fridge!

Savory Dutch Baby Recipe

(Extra garlic confit ricotta from last week’s recipe)

https://www.southernfatty.com/savory-dutch-brunch-baby-with-herb-ricotta/

Ingredients

Dutch baby

3⁄4 cup all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

3⁄4 cup milk, whole

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter to bake

Filling / Topping

1 cup whole milk ricotta

1/2 tablespoon herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup arugula

5-6 slices prosciutto

2 large eggs, fried

salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Dutch Baby

Combine all ingredients into blender.

Blend until smooth, 30 seconds. Wipe down sides and blend briefly again until thoroughly mixed.

Set batter aside.

Pre-heat oven to 450 F with an oven-safe skillet (I used an 8") inside.

When the temperature of the oven is reached, allow pan to fully warm, 5-10 minutes. Go for the longer 10 minutes if using cast iron.

Carefully place the additional 3 tablespoons of butter in the hot pan inside the oven.

When melted, remove hot pan and quickly pour all of the batter into the centter of the pan.

Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

At 10 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 400 F.

Cook until golden, an additional 10-15 minutes.

Remove and cool to warm. The pastry will deflate as it cools.

Topping

Whip ricotta, salt, and herbs together.

Top Dutch baby pancake with proscuitto, arugula, and whipped ricotta.

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