Baking with Less Sugar (12 page)

MAKES
8
CUSTARDS

• 960 g/4 cups whole milk
  
• 280 g/10 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  
• 2 large eggs plus 4 egg yolks
  
• 1
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  tsp kosher salt
  
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  
• Unsweetened heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks, for garnish
  
• Shaved chocolate for garnish
  

1.
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F [165°C].

2.
Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until scalded—that is, small bubbles form on the edges of the milk and it almost, but not quite, comes to a boil. Turn off the heat.

3.
Meanwhile, bring a saucepan filled partway with water to a very gentle simmer over medium heat. Place the chocolate in a metal or glass bowl. Place the bowl over (not touching) the barely simmering water in the saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Alternatively, microwave the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted and smooth.

4.
Set a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher or measuring cup. Pour the scalded milk over the melted chocolate and whisk to combine well. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes and whisk well again to ensure that the chocolate and milk are completely blended. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks and slowly whisk the hot milk-chocolate mixture into the eggs. Strain the mixture through the fine-mesh strainer into the pitcher. Stir in the salt and vanilla.

5.
Arrange eight 6-oz [180-ml] ramekins in a roasting pan with deep sides. Pour the custard mixture evenly into the ramekins. Carefully move the roasting pan to the oven. Fill the pan with hot water halfway up the sides of the ramekins. (This is a water bath and will protect the pots de crème from over-baking.) Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until just set. Be sure to start checking early; baking time will depend on the thickness and depth of your ramekins and roasting pan. The pots de crème will wiggle stiffly like firm Jell-O when they are done. Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and let the ramekins cool in the water bath. Remove the cooled ramekins from the roasting pan, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.

6.
Serve the pots de crème, completely chilled, in their ramekins with a little dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of chocolate shavings.

This ice cream is so deep and dark and rich it's almost like eating frozen fudge. The bourbon, chocolate, and coffee all come through and complement each other marvelously. Yum! The better quality of chocolate you use, the more decadent the ice cream will be. I didn't originally intend for this to have alcohol in it, but since this ice cream has no sugar, it freezes way too hard without it. (Sugar lowers the freezing point of ice cream, which means its addition helps keeps ice cream softer and creamier for better scooping.) Alcohol acts like sugar in that it makes ice cream soft when frozen so it doesn't end up a solid brick of chocolate. The addition of cream cheese is a trick I learned from
Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home
cookbook; it helps bind all of the ingredients together and add body to the ice cream. The total amount of sugar in this recipe is about 110 grams.

MAKES ABOUT
1
¹
/
₂
QUARTS [1.4 L]

• 720 g/3 cups whole milk
  
• 240 g/1 cup heavy cream
  
• 120 g/
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  cup brewed coffee
  
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  
• 280 g/10 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  
• 8 egg yolks
  
• 55 g/4 Tbsp cream cheese, at room temperature
  
• 1 tsp kosher salt
  
• 90 g/6 Tbsp bourbon or other dark alcohol like rum or whiskey
  

1.
Rest a fine-mesh strainer over a large container and set aside.

2.
Combine the milk and cream in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until it is scalded—that is, small bubbles form on the edges of the mixture and it almost, but not quite, comes to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the coffee and vanilla.

3.
Bring a saucepan filled partway with water to a very gentle simmer over medium-high heat. Place the chocolate in a medium metal or glass bowl. Place the bowl over (not touching) the barely simmering water in the saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Alternatively, microwave the chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted and smooth.

4.
Pour the hot milk-cream mixture over the chocolate and whisk until well combined. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly ladle a little of the hot liquid into the egg-yolk mixture and whisk to combine. Continue slowly adding hot cream to the yolks, whisking continuously, until all of the cream is mixed in. (This step is called tempering, which allows you to introduce the hot liquid to the cold egg yolks slowly and gently so that you can combine them without scrambling the yolks.)

5.
Return the whole mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon. The mixture will seem thin at first, then it will start to steam, and then it will start to develop a little body and get thicker. Remove from the heat and immediately whisk in the cream cheese until it melts into the mixture. Strain through the fine-mesh strainer into the container. Whisk in the salt.

6.
Place the ice cream base, covered, in the refrigerator overnight until completely cold, at least 4 hours or up to overnight. Before churning, whisk in the bourbon. Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. When the ice cream has finished churning, transfer it to a storage container and freeze for at least 2 hours to allow it to ripen. During the ripening process, the ice cream becomes harder and smoother and the flavors develop. Due to the lack of sugar in the ice cream, you may need to remove the ice cream from the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes before scooping and serving.

7.
Store the ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.

After all this time, I've learned a little self-control when I'm in the pastry kitchen. I know now that I don't
have
to eat that chocolate chip cookie batter, or that it's not
essential
that I taste that warm, gooey sticky bun, or that I
can
walk past that tub of carrot cake trimmings. However, when the bakers are trimming a triple chocolate mousse cake, I know my limits. I've never walked by without snagging a frozen end piece of cake and mousse. We make these cakes in large sheet trays and then freeze them until they are firm so we can neatly slice through them. Each time I eat an edge, I think to myself, this is like the best ice cream sandwich I've ever had. So I took the idea of making a thin chocolate cake and filling it with a whipped chocolate mousse that ends up freezing into something quite like ice cream. Infuse the cream with fresh mint and you've got a spectacular summer treat. (Or you can use peppermint extract if you can't get your hands on fresh mint.) The chocolate in this recipe has about 130 grams of sugar in it, making each sandwich clock in at around 16 grams of sugar.

MAKES
8
SANDWICHES

MINT CHOCOLATE “ICE CREAM”

• 480 g/2 cups heavy cream
  
• 20 g/
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  cup packed fresh spearmint or peppermint leaves, coarsely chopped, or 1 tsp peppermint extract
  
• 85 g/3 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  
• ¹
  /
  ₄
  tsp kosher salt
  

CAKE

• 225 g/8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  
• 5 large eggs, separated
  
• 60 g/
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  cup strong brewed coffee, at room temperature
  
• ¹
  /
  ₄
  tsp kosher salt
  
• 35 g/
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  cup all-purpose flour
  

1.
Rest a fine-mesh strainer over a medium bowl and set aside.

2. To make the “ice cream”:
Put the cream and chopped mint (if using) in a medium saucepan. Heat the cream over medium heat until it is scalded—that is, small bubbles form on the edges of the cream and it almost, but not quite, comes to a boil. Let it sit for 30 minutes. Strain the cream through the fine-mesh strainer. Pour the cream back in the saucepan and bring back up to just under a boil. Whisk in the peppermint extract (if using instead of fresh mint leaves). Put the chocolate in a medium bowl and pour the hot cream on top. Add the salt and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. With a rubber spatula, scrape the chocolate mixture into an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.

3. To make the cake:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F [175°C]. Line a 13-by-18-in [33-by-46-cm] rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and spray the parchment liberally with nonstick cooking spray. Be sure to spray well; the cake is sticky and you'll have a hard time removing the parchment paper from it if you skip this step.

4.
Bring a saucepan filled partway with water to a very gentle simmer over medium-high heat. Place the chocolate in a medium metal or glass bowl. Place the bowl over (not touching) the barely simmering water in the saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Alternatively, microwave the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted and smooth. Whisk the egg yolks, coffee, and salt into the melted chocolate; set aside.

5.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or with an electric hand mixer), beat the egg whites on medium speed. When they reach the soft-peak stage (that is, when the tines of the whisk leave a trail in the whites, 2 to 3 minutes), watch them carefully until they reach firm-peak stage, which will just take another 30 seconds to a minute. They should hold a peak when you stop the mixer and lift up the whisk attachment slowly from the whites. Using a rubber spatula, fold one-third of the whites into the yolk-chocolate mixture to lighten it, and then gently fold in the rest of the whites. Gently fold in the flour until it is all incorporated.

6.
Pour the batter onto the prepared baking sheet. Using an offset spatula, carefully spread the batter evenly to cover the entire baking sheet. Concentrate on spreading the batter towards the corners and the edges of the sheet—the center will be easier to fill once the edges are filled with batter. Don't worry about the top being perfectly smooth; it's more important that the batter be spread evenly so that the cake is the same thickness throughout. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the top of the cake is firm and dry when you touch it. It may look a bit glossy and wet while baking, but touch it after about 8 minutes to check doneness and continue to test until it is dry to the touch. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 to 30 minutes. Place the cooled cake in the freezer for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight (in this case, wrapped well with plastic wrap) to make peeling off the parchment easier.

7.
Have a sheet of parchment paper ready that is slightly larger than the baked cake surface and set it on a work surface. Remove the cake from the freezer and run a paring knife around the edge of the cake to release it from the sides of the baking sheet. Invert the cake directly onto the sheet of parchment. Carefully peel off the bottom parchment (which is now on top of the cake). Cut the cake in half widthwise, cutting through the parchment underneath as well so you can lift off one half of the cake. Place half of the cake (with parchment underneath) on a baking sheet, cutting board, or large flat platter.