So many recipes for chocolate pots de crème and chocolate mousse call for gelatin, but if you’re vegetarian, Jewish (unless it’s fish based), or Muslim (unless it’s Halal) you can’t really have any.
I was never one to forgo a chocolate dessert because of an ingredient I can’t have, and instead decided to experiment with agar-agar, a seaweed with thickening properties much like gelatin. I tried a few versions until I got one that was husband-approved and Franklin-approved. This one was a success!
Chocolate Pots de Crème in Coconut Milk (Paleo option, vegan option)
Ingredients
- - 1 14-oz can BPA-free full fat coconut milk
- - 4 tablespoons pastured butter (you can also use coconut oil)
- - 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- - 1/3 cup favorite nut butter (a good quality almond or peanut butter, organic, work well)
- - 2 tablespoon grade B maple syrup
- - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- - 3/4 teaspoon agar-agar flakes (not powder)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, stir the agar-agar into 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate. When melted, add the nut butter, and then add the can of coconut milk. Stir in the maple syrup and vanilla extract.
- Stir in the agar-agar and water.
- Pour into 5 6-oz ramequins.