Pots de creme, pronounced ‘Poe-day-krem’ is my new bestie.  That along with cauliflower rice might very well be my go to low carb duo in 2018.  Pots de creme is this amazingly smooth, velvety rich mousse-like dessert that I always seem to order when we eat out. Now that I know how to make it I will likely not order it in the future and pay 8$ for a thimble-sized serving.

It’s so simple to make and very low in sugar because I use dark chocolate with 6 net carbs. Take caution though with the dark chocolate you use because I’ve had the Montezuma Absolute Black Chocolate  and I swear it was like eating charcoal or dirt. I wound up spitting  it out after chewing for a few minutes and it looked exactly the same as when I first put it in my mouth. Simply Lite is much better both in texture and flavor

What I love most about chocolate pots de creme is how seemingly decadent it is and somehow still manages to be low carb.

*Makes 3 servings

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 T honey
1 t vanilla extract
3.5 – 4 oz dark chocolate
3/4 c coconut milk

Procedure:

Throw everything except the coconut milk in your blender or food processor and blend unttil smooth and chocolate is pulverized. Heat the coconut milk either in the microwave or stove top until almost boiling. With blender on low, slowly drizzle in the coconut milk and blend until mixture is thickened. Pour into ramekins and refrigerate for 2 hours or until set. Top with fresh whipped cream and raspberries.

Tiramisu: An Ode

Spongy decadence
Your caffeinated sweetness
it awakens me

Most of the recipes I write about in this blog are steeped in childhood memories or memories of the first time I had the dish in a restaurant or at a food truck.  That is not the case with tiramisu.  I don’t remember the first time I had it or where, and more importantly, how I felt about it.  I can still remember the first time I took a bite of the ginger spiced cake, for example, at Chow.  Or the time I had tempeh and didn’t realize it was tempeh, which was a good thing, otherwise I would have lost my tempehr (been waiting to use that pun for weeks now.)

Alas, I’m not Lidia Bastianich and tiramisu doesn’t inspire those childhood memories for me.  What it does inspire is poetry, hence  this haiku.

But finally, last night is a tiramisu memory that won’t fade for awhile.   Last night, we attended a crab feed at my son’s school and there was a silent dessert auction with a variety of desserts donated by members of the school community.  Some were homemade, others were store bought and fetched above modest prices from generous contributors.  We love our school and when close friends on the crab feed committee asked for a dessert donation, tiramisu instantly leapt to mind.

I was a little (a lot) anxious about how it would taste, too runny, heavy on the rum, etc, etc.  Then came the moment of reckoning and I worried that no one would bid on it–like a girl going to her first dance and then doesn’t get asked by anyone.  I put a lot of pressure on that tiramisu.  Because I’m a dork, I stalked that auction table repeatedly and eventually sent my homie Marie to check on its current going price.

The tiramisu got asked to dance.  At a final selling price of $130, the tiramisu had, in fact, been elected prom queen.

Tiramisu Recipe (adapted from: The Best Tiramisu You Will Ever Make: Ask Chef Dennis)

Ingredients

The state of denial should be our 51st state.  It is our most populous state and one frequented by nearly all of us, some daring to never leave.  Because once you do, you will be sure to return.  You see, denial is the thing that allows us to get out of bed in the morning and to proceed with our day thinking that we will be productive, make a difference and have a profound effect on the world around us.  It is the thing that allows us to act within the confines of the law, and allows government and societies to function. Without it, our lives would come to a grinding halt as we all come to the collective realization that the world and most of its inhabitants are really a bunch of amoral craptards and we are all hurtling towards certain doom.

I’ve just finished an hour of exercise, so forgive the stream of consciousness rant.  I didn’t take a breath while composing this witty prose (denial, again).

Carrot cake is one such example of denial.  It’s got eggs and nuts (protein), carrots for beta carotene and better vision, raisins have fiber.  What could possibly be wrong with carrot cake?   Ignore the 2 cups of sugar and 1+ cup of oil and extend your stay in the state of denial.  All are welcome.

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
3 extra-large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 c grated carrots, approx 1 pound
1 c sweet flaked coconut
1 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease and flour your bundt pan.  Set aside
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar, oil, and eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, until light yellow and thickened. Stir in the vanilla.
3. In another bowl, sift together the 2 cups of flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones.
4. In a medium bowl, toss the carrots, raisins, walnuts, and the 1 tablespoon of flour. Stir into the batter with a rubber spatula.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, lower the heat to 350 degrees, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, turn out onto a baking rack, and cool completely.

Carrot cake, pre-icing

Not as pretty as Nothing Bundt Cake, but close enough