A Sweet Solution To Pudding Peril

Dinner parties. It used to be so simple; you called up your friends and invited them. Then, by way of a polite formality, you casually asked: "Is there anything you don't eat?" They laughed at such a fussy notion, or made a joke about not being too keen on Liquorice Allsort soup, and you cooked whatever you fancied.

But the modern epidemic of allergies and food intolerances has made home catering an altogether trickier business. Every time I attempt any sort of get-together I become so stressed by the finicky no-wheat, no-dairy, eggs-will-kill-me permutations of my guests that I almost suffer an aneurism.

While the starter and main course are reasonably easy - just pile more vegetables on the plate - pudding invariably has me well and truly stumped, as it's pretty much impossible to please everyone and I refuse, on principle, to make three different puddings to feed eight people.

I was very intrigued then, to learn about Sweet Sensations, a one-woman company that specialises in kitchen tutorials on how to whip up dairy-free, sugar-free, egg-free, wheat-free and nut-free puddings that not only look great but taste scrummy too. Allegedly.

I say allegedly, because in my book anything so devoid of the basic elements of pudding - sugar, cream, eggs and lots of delicious calories - isn't really pudding, it's fruit salad. But when Liz Bygrave arrives on my doorstep hauling two cool bags of utensils and ingredients, she radiates a quiet air of just-you-wait-and-see evangelism in the face of my scepticism. We are going to make raspberry mousse without eggs, lemon cheesecake without cheese and chocolate truffles without cream, a tall order by any gastronomic standards.

75 Per Cent less Carbohydrate

"I've always been a healthy eater, but with a tremendously sweet tooth," explains Bygrave, who is also a complementary therapist with a massage and reflexology practice. "I had very bad eczema as a child and poor digestion, so I've always been aware of the effect food has on my wellbeing. I avoid wheat and dairy as they make my skin flare up. But I crave sweetness and, as the years have gone by, I've developed recipes for desserts using natural ingredients that virtually anyone can eat."

We begin with the raspberry mousse, made from cashew nuts and desiccated coconut ground up finely in a coffee grinder. To this we add xylitol, a naturally-occurring sweetener that is found in plants, fruit and the human body. Marketed in Britain as Perfect Sweet, it can be found in supermarkets and health food shops. Xylitol has 75 per cent less carbohydrate than sugar and 40 per cent fewer calories, and is extracted from birch trees. White and powdery, it's very sweet on the tongue but has no sugary aftertaste.

After that comes sweet agave syrup - extracted from the plant used to make tequila - followed by water, then coconut oil, which we melt in a pan and use to bind the mixture. Finally we introduce the (frozen) raspberries and mix them using a blender. Then we place the mixture in the fridge to set. Next up is the lemon cheesecake. The base is made from hazelnuts and sunflower seeds. The topping ingredients are desiccated coconut, cashew nuts, coconut oil, agave syrup, lemon juice and zest, which are combined and blended, then poured over the base after it has set in the fridge.

"Because all the ingredients are natural, you aren't eating empty calories, so these desserts are much more filling than bought puddings," says Bygrave. "One of the beauties of xylitol is that it has a glycaemic index that's just over seven, 10 times lower than sugar, so you don't get a blood sugar high followed by a slump." Finally we make the chocolate truffles, which have the same basic ingredients, but with the addition of raw chocolate powder and cocoa butter. We flavour them with vanilla extract, but you can also use tiny amounts of essential oils such as orange or lime. After shaping them into balls, we roll them in xylitol, which makes them look pretty much like a standard truffle. The proof of any pudding however, is in the eating and I am keen to find out just how they taste.

Chocolate Pudding Recipe- Homemade

This is a great tasting homemade chocolate pudding that is also low in fat. You can adjust this recipe to suit your own taste.

3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups fat free milk
1 (5 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 oz. German sweet chocolate, grated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup whipped topping

Directions

In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Gradually stir in the fat free milk and evaporated milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until pudding is thickened.

Remove from heat. Stir in the grated chocolate and vanilla. Spoon pudding into dessert dishes. Serve warm or cold with a dollop of whipped topping.

The Raspberry Mousse Is Fabulous

The raspberry mousse is fabulous. Rather unbelievably, given the ingredients, it has the same mouth-feel as a thick, creamy mousse, and is fruity and filling. The truffles too, are impressive on their own merits, rather than as a "healthy" option. Again, a complete success.

I am rather more ambivalent about the cheesecake, which is too coconut-y for my palate and has a lingering aftertaste. But having said that, when I serve the leftovers to my dairy-phobic friend, he almost swoons in delight, as he hasn't tasted as delicious a pudding for years - well, at least not at my house.

After her tutorials, which cost from £125 for two hours, Bygrave hands out recipe cards so her students can prepare the recipes independently. She can also tailor recipes to avoid using nuts.

The question is, would I make her puddings again? Absolutely, but seeing as how I'm not allergic, I might well polish mine off with a mountain of double cream.

Chocolate Pudding Recipe: Double Chocolate Pudding Pie Recipe

If you follow this recipe exactly, you will make a fantastic chocolate pie. I’m gonna say that this may be the best chocolate pie you’ve ever tasted – yes, it’s that good.

1 prepared 9-inch pie crust, baked
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions
In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Gradually stir in the milk. Add the chocolate chips and the unsweetened chocolate. Cook over medium heat; stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil another 1 minute; stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

In a medium heatproof bowl, add in the egg yolks. Gradually pour in half of the warm chocolate mixture; whisking constantly.

Whisk the egg yolk mixture back into the chocolate mixture sitting in the saucepan. Cook the chocolate mixture over medium heat; stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour chocolate mixture into the baked pie shell. Press a layer of plastic wrap onto the filling. Refrigerate for 4 hours or no longer than 48 hours. Remove the plastic wrap before serving. Top with whipped cream.

Hot Cocoa Roundup - Seven Varieties Reviewed

It’s winter and what Candy Addict doesn’t love some liquid chocolate? I am a hot cocoa fanatic. I hate the cold, but the only ray of sunshine in an otherwise dismal winter is the prospect of hot cocoa. It must be served in the winter. There’s something so soothing about drinking warm chocolate when you’re wrapped up in a blanket on a cold night.

I chose seven types of hot chocolate for this tasting. They are, in the order I tasted them, Hershey’s Special Dark Hot Cocoa, Cacao Reserve by Hershey’s Mayan Blend Drinking Cocoa Premium Mix, Land O’Lakes Butterscotch Hot Cocoa, Land of Lakes Mint Hot Cocoa, Swiss Miss French Vanilla Hot Cocoa, Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate Sensation Hot Cocoa, and Godiva Hot Cocoa.

The first obstacle in tasting all these cocoas was the water vs. milk debate. Some of the hot cocoas direct you to use water specifically, others say to use milk instead, and still others have water in the directions but say, “for a richer creamier treat, replace water with heated milk.” At first, I decided to follow their strict instructions, but ended up winging it a little. I always choose milk over water, but for the purposes of the review, I used water when it was called for, in most instances. On to the reviews. . .

Hot Cocoa Recipes

A comfort food that's good for you! Fun facts on this winter treat, plus three delightful recipes from some of the world's foremost chocolate makers...

I never associated hot cocoa with good health. It was just a better, lower fat alternative to an intense craving for, let's say, ½ pound of dark chocolate devoured in one sitting, or a really big slice of Mud Pie.

But recently, hot cocoa has been elevated to a new status: Health Drink. Recently, researchers at Cornell University have found that cocoa teems with antioxidants that prevent cancer. In fact, cocoa has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and up to three times those found in green tea.

This discovery surprised even the researchers: "If I had made a prediction before conducting the tests, I would have picked green tea as having the most antioxidant activity," says Chang Y. Lee, chairman of the Department of Food Science and Technology at the university's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, NY, who led the team of researchers in the study.

Faced with the choice of drinking red wine, green tea or hot cocoa, Lee suggests enjoying all three in different parts of the day: "Personally, I would drink hot cocoa in the morning, green tea in the afternoon, and a glass of red wine in the evening. That's a good combination," he says.

However using this good news as an excuse to polish off more chocolate bars is a no-no: "Although a bar of chocolate exhibits strong antioxidant activity, the health benefits are still controversial because of the saturated fats present," researchers of the study write. They explain that cocoa has about one-third of a gram of fat per one cup serving, compared with the eight grams of fat in a standard-sized 40 gram chocolate bar.

Okay, so hot cocoa (minus the whipped cream) is a good way to fight cancer, but can't you get just as many antioxidants from eating a carrot stick?

Well, yes, any vegetable you pick up at your produce section (particularly grapes, garlic and spinach) is bound to give you healthy boost of cancer- fighting antioxidants. But how much fun can you possibly have munching on garlic cloves while curled up by the fire on a cold winter night? So this winter season, drink up your hot cocoa - after all, it's good for your health!

A Classic Chocolate Pudding Frosting Recipe

This is a chocolate pudding frosting recipe that's time-tested and it passed with flying colors. It's proof that pudding doesn't only belong in dessert cups.

CHOCOLATE PUDDING FROSTING(1) 4 ounce package of Pudding Mix, any flavor but if you use chocolate use dark.

• 1 1/4 Cup Milk
• 1/2 Cup Butter
• 1/2 Cup Vegetable Shortening
• 1 Cup Confectioners Sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 teaspoon Salt
  

Cook the Pudding according to the package direction using 1 1/4 cups Milk.

Cover with wax paper or cling wrap and cool to room temperature.

Cream the Butter, Sugar and Shortening until light and fluffy.

Stir in Vanilla and Salt.

Gradually beat in the Pudding.

It makes enough for the top and sides of (2) 9-inch layers.

Chocolate Novelty Items

Everything's a chocolate novelty item.
If you think of it, it's probably available as a luscious, creamy smooth chocolate-y confection. If it's not, it either should be or soon will be.

Animal lover? Have a chocolate mousse moose. Bug lover? Chomp a chocolate cricket (made of chocolate, not chocolate covered). Gung-ho gambler? Grab a handful of chocolate casino chips. Love to send greeting cards? Send those best regards in a solid chocolate greeting card.

Are you a serious snacker or know one? If potato chips are a weakness, they'll flip for chocolate covered potato chips. Hot and spicy honchos will go loco over chocolate hot pepper treats. It seems like more ways are discovered each day to enjoy chocolate in unique and different ways. Do not say it can not be done because that is when you will probably find it out of the blue!

Chocolate novelty items of all kinds make excellent fundraisers for private clubs and organizations. Your garden club could offer chocolate roses, the school marching band may sell chocolate musical instruments and the hot rod club might appreciate chocolate wrenches! Plain chocolate bars are unexciting and uninspired so why not give them what they really love that is chocolate too?

Even better, most companies who haven't thought of your favorite are just waiting to hear your suggestion. Make yours today and start loving chocolate your way!

Chicken Noodle

The best chicken noodle soup ever?
OK, I'm confused. I was fairly certain that I made the best chicken noodle soup, but according to this recipe over at AOL Food (via AllRecipes.com), I don't. It's The Best Chicken Noodle Soup Ever.

There's nothing that warms my heart and other organs in the winter than a nice bowl of chicken noodle soup, with big chunks of chicken and carrots and celery in a seasoned broth. In fact, I'm going to make chicken noodle soup for dinner tonight. Not sure if I'll make this one (don't have the whole chicken or some of the other ingredients), but it sounds like a really good basic recipe to keep in your collection.

Chicken Noodle Soup
1 (2 to 3 pound) whole chicken
3 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
1 pound baby carrots
2 onions, chopped
2 cubes beef bouillon, crumbled
1 packet chicken noodle soup mix
2 (14.5 ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth
1 pinch dried thyme
1 pinch poultry seasoning
1 pinch dried basil
5 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 pinch dried parsley
1 (8 ounce) package farfalle (bow tie) pasta

Place chicken in a large pot and cover with water. Place celery leaves in pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and place in a bowl until cool enough to handle.