Paula Deen's Lean: Baked Chocolate Custard with Butterscotch Whipped Cream

Helloooo chocoholics! This is the absolute, must-try recipe for you! It is rich. It is decadent. It is less than 250 calories!! If you are lookin' for a sweet splurge to satisfy any chocolate craving, this is the dessert for you. In the January 17, 2011 issue of PEOPLE magazine, Paula shared her delicious recipe for Baked Chocolate Custard with us. Here is my spin on it.

BAKED CHOCOLATE CUSTARD WITH BUTTERSCOTCH WHIPPED CREAM
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup (6 ounces) dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup FAT FREE half-and-half
• 1 cup 1% milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup Egg Beaters (or similar egg substitute)
• 3 tablespoons light maple syrup
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons SUGAR FREE butterscotch syrup (Suggestion: Smucker's)
• 6 tablespoons FAT FREE Reddi Whip

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oven to 300 degrees.

Place the chocolate chips in a medium size, heat-safe bowl. Bring half-and-half and the milk to a light boil over low heat using a medium saucepan. Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate chips and whisk until smooth (all the chocolate is melted).

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, Egg Beaters, light maple syrup and salt. Whisk in 1/2 of the chocolate mixture. Then add the remaining chocolate mixture; mixing completely. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve (aka...mesh strainer), and divide into 6 oven-safe ramekins.

Place the ramekins in a large roasting pan; filling the pan with warm water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekin. Cover the pan with foil and poke small holes throughout. Bake on the center rack for 30-35 minutes. When ready to come out of the oven, the edges of the custard will be slightly set and the center will still jiggle. Let the custards cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

To serve, top each custard with about 1 tablespoon of Reddi Whip and drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon of butterscotch syrup.

RESULTS:
When you take your first bite, you will automatically feel like you have completely fallen off the healthy path. The good news is, you haven't. It is a dessert; something that should be enjoyed in moderation. But if you are going to go for it, this is a smart way to do it. The change that made the biggest impact was using half-and-half in place of heavy cream. The other small switches included using Egg Beaters instead of all egg yolk, 1% milk for whole, Reddi Whip for homemade whip with heavy cream, and sugar free syrup. The dark chocolate and maple syrup were used to not just cut some calories, but to add the nutrients found in maple syrup and the antioxidants found in dark chocolate. Just another something you can feel good about as you enjoy your slimmed down dessert!

The nutritional breakdown per serving...

BEFORE: 535 calories;  42g fat;  39g carbohydrate;  6g protein
AFTER: 232 calories;  11g fat;  32g carbohydrate;  5g protein; fiber 0g
SAVES: 303 calories;  31g fat;  7g carbohydrate

*PRINT-FRIENDLY*

*Recipe inspired by Paula Deen's Baked Chocolate Custard with Butterscotch Whipped Cream; found in January 17, 2001 issue of PEOPLE Magazine; adapted from The Deen Family Cookbook, Simon & Schuster.