Easy Keto chocolate pudding

August 14, 2021 / Lyn Jones / 0 Comments

A pretty straightforward chocolate pud that’s set with agar agar instead of gelatin, which actually gives it an almost mousse-like texture, unlike the jello texture you get with gelatin. It’s smooth, creamy, and looks impressive, and I promise promise you won’t even realise it’s sugar free. Just like the pudding cups from your childhood, except a whole lot richer and sexier.       4 servings

Ingredients
  • 250 ml Heavy Cream reserve 50 ml (try homemade nut milk)
  • 45 grams good quality Sugar-free chocolate I use this
  • 50 g Keto sweetener 1:1 sugar substitute
  • a pinch Salt
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder I use this
  • 1 tsp agar agar 5g
  • 15 ml water
  •  loaf tin, small cake tin, ramekin or use the cream carton* to set it in – have ready

    1.  Measure out 50 ml of the cream into a bowl and sift the cocoa powder into it. Don’t skip the sifting. Mix until you have a smooth, lump free cocoa paste.

    2.  In another bowl, mix the teaspoon of agar agar in one tablespoon of water until you have a lump free paste again. You can also use gelatin but it’s not a 1:1 substitution so you might want to check that.

    3.  Weigh out the 45 grams of chocolate and set it aside. Get your saucepan out and empty the cream into it. Add in your sweetener to the cream. **

    4.  Put saucepan on low heat, keep stirring until the salt and sweetener dissolve.
    Add in the cocoa paste – give another good mix until it’s fully incorporated in the cream.

    5.  Add chocolate chips to the warm cream and stir till you get a uniformly chocolaty mix.

    6.  Add in the agar agar, stir to dissolve completely until you have a perfectly smooth hot-chocolate like mix.

    7.  Take the saucepan off the heat and directly pour the mixture into your cream cartons or whatever moulds you’re using. Leave to set in the fridge for at least two hours.

    8.  When you’re ready to serve, cut the carton along its length with a scissor and gently ease the pudding out. It should slide right out.

    9.  Top with a dusting of cocoa powder and some desiccated coconut. Slice and serve.

    * (If you get cream in a carton or Tetrapak like I do, save it to use as the mould for the pudding. Cut off the “ears” of the carton, take off the top so you have a rectangle open on one end.)

    **  (I’m using a stevia mix that’s a 1:1 substitute for sugar. If you’re not sure how sweet your sweetener is, add in a little bit at a time and taste as you go along. Also add in the pinch of salt.)

SALTED TAHINI CARAMEL, ROAST ALMOND AND CHOCOLATE ‘NICE’ CREAM

November 21, 2020 / Lyn Jones / 0 Comments

Chocolatey ‘nice’ cream (this just means frozen banana blended to a an ice-cream consistency), crunchy roasted hazelnuts and chewy sweet and salty sesame spiked caramel. Serves 2

Ingredients
2 Tbs maple syrup
1 Tbs tahini
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 frozen bananas (freeze in pieces not whole or in their skins)
2 Tbs cacao or cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbs roasted almonds, roughly chopped

In a very small pot (1 cup capacity is excellent)*  combine maple syrup with the  first  1/2 tsp vanilla, salt & tahini. Bring to the boil, turn down heat & simmer gently until a golden colour is reached (a couple of minutes). Set aside to cool slightly – don’t allow to harden and stick to the pot!  

In a food processor or high speed blender combine the banana & second 1/2 tsp vanilla.
Process until a smooth soft-serve consistence is reached. Add cacao, process until uniform in colour. Stir almonds through. Pour into freezer-safe container & smooth out to about 1-2 mm thickness. Drizzle tahini caramel sauce over the top and place in freezer for 15 minutes.
Remove, fold most of caramel sauce through, don’t worry about chunks, you want these.

Return to the freezer another 30 minutes, then stir/fold icecream again, mixing up the more and less frozen bits. Repeat this for 1-2 hours folding occasionally. The stirring will create a creamy texture. When you have reached a consistency that you’re happy with, spoon it into bowls and eat.

I like it to be frozen enough that you can make soft scoops of ice cream from it. This isn’t actually that time consuming though. You could eat it all soft-serve like and melty and it’d be ready in minutes. Or you can do the refreezing part and have a more luxurious ice cream-like consistency. Up to you!

* (note: if you don’t have one, double the quantities for the sauce and just store in the fridge otherwise temperature control will be very difficult)

 

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