This week’s recipe encouragement, not that much was needed, comes from a set of old glass pots I found in the shed. They are small and decorative and it seems reasonable that they were created for the sole purpose of filling them with delicious dessert concoctions. I don’t do complicated cooking. I want tasty food that’s easy to make and doesn’t take hours of prep. This is especially so during the summer when - more time in the garden, less time in the kitchen - is the mantra. Little dessert pots that can be made in advance make perfect sense to me. What better dessert for summer entertaining?
These Lime & Ginger Pots are plant-based and best served chilled. They take ten minutes max to make and can be made up to twenty-four hours in advance. I think many people are moving towards eating more plant-based food even if they aren’t becoming full-on vegan or vegetarian. Plant-based is moving mainstream and if you are cooking this way, this recipe is a good place to start in the dessert department.
Some recipe notes:
· Use good quality dark chocolate as opposed to cooking chocolate. If you are making these for guests, choose a dark chocolate with a lower cocoa content, e.g. 60%. But if you and your guests are dark chocolate nuts, you can opt for one with as high a cocoa content as 90%.
· Either fresh or frozen avocados can be used. If using fresh, make sure they are ripe. A ripe avocado should yield to firm, gentle pressure. Don’t use any mushy or discoloured parts of the flesh. Frozen avocados also work well as blending them from frozen makes for a very creamy finish. Most supermarkets sell frozen avocado. Check the frozen veg section. The avocados are peeled, destoned and halved prior to freezing. Frozen avocado also works well in smoothies. They don’t work so well defrosted in salads.
· A food processor or a blender can be used here. If you are using frozen avocado, depending on how powerful your blender or processor is, you may want to let them defrost a little before using them.
· Serve these chocolate pots on their own or with a scope of ice-cream or sorbet.
Keep scrolling for the recipe for there very easy-to-make Lime & Ginger Chocolate Pots.
Lime & Ginger Chocolate Pots
(makes 4 - 6)
Ingredients
2 ripe avocados OR 2 frozen avocados
150g dark chocolate
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
4 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp raw cacao powder
1 inch ginger root, peeled and grated
Zest and juice of a lime
Pinch sea salt
Method
Add all the ingredients, save for the dark chocolate to a food processor or blender.
Create a double boiler by placing a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Break the dark chocolate into small pieces and place in the bowl, stirring occasionally until melted. This should take only a few minutes.
Add the melted chocolate to the rest of the ingredients. Process or blend until the ingredients form a smooth mousse like mixture. The mixture should be quite thick, but if you need to thin it out slightly to help it blend, add a little more almond milk.
Once blended, spoon the mixture into small serving pots and top with grated chocolate and lime zest. Place in the fridge for at least an hour before serving and serve chilled. They will last in the fridge for up to 24 hours so these are great to make in advance. Enjoy.
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