Low Carb Egg Nog

I came up with my own low carb egg nog last year, and it was a hit with my guests including the ones who aren’t abstaining from sugar. I’ve noticed that the amount of egg yolks and ratio of heavy cream to whole milk in most recipes vary significantly. Some add cinnamon and cloves, but most do not. I do. In fact, I use pumpkin pie spice since that contains a nice mix of flavors, but counterbalance it with extra nutmeg since that needs to be the most prominent.

Egg yolks provide richness and add viscosity. However, my egg nog uses only four since I whip the heavy cream until it thickens slightly. Real egg nog includes the egg whites folded in the mix after they’ve been whipped into a light foam. I like to use pasteurized eggs, so whipping egg whites is usually an exercise in futility. Cream of tartar helps, but this year, I’m going to try to also separate the eggs in advance and allow the whites to become room temperature.

Most people (including me) prefer it without booze. I keep a small mix of bourbon, cognac, and rum (usually a 2:1:1 or 6:4:1 ratio) on the side and let people add what they want.

Low Carb Caramel Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered “Potato” Chips and Pretzels

New and exciting ice cream flavors are being developed constantly. However, most are unfeasible due to the carbohydrate content of one or more ingredients. Ben & Jerry’s came up with a unique flavor combination called Late Night Snack that features vanilla ice cream with a salted caramel swirl and chocolate covered potato chips. A sugar-free caramel swirl is impossible (for now) and potato chips? Are you kidding me? Still, the idea of combining salty and sweet is far too alluring to dismiss. Caramel ice cream can take the place of the swirls, but potato chips?!

I wasn’t trying to find a potato chip substitute when I picked up a bag of unsweetened coconut flakes. I saw a recipe for Sweet~N~Salty Coconut Chips and thought it would be an easy snack to make for a party. I didn’t expect that these could truly pass for potato chips, but as soon as I tried them, I realized that I was oh, so wrong! It was a few seconds later that I remembered that impossibly low carb potato chip ice cream flavor. Eureka! I can do this!

Book Review: The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking

I found this lovely cookbook a while back and found it compelling enough to blog about. The authors provide recipes for low carb, gluten-free breads, rolls, pizzas, focaccias, crackers, breadsticks, pretzels, muffins, scones, pancakes, waffles, cookies, brownies, cakes, pies, and more. These concoctions are based on unique combinations of nut and seed flours. Most low carb recipes I’ve found on the Internet use almond, coconut flour, and occasionally ground flax seeds. This book will open you up to other possibilities such as hazelnut, sesame seed, and pecan to provide a more complex flavor and texture.

The authors give a great primer on why carbohydrates can be problematic for some people, in particular, diabetics. They provide lists of equipment, tools, and ingredients as well as baking techniques. I also like that they provide gram and ounce measurements. However, I found some of their volume to weight conversions off. I also had a bit of bad luck with their chocolate pie crust. I believe they specified way too much coconut flour, which made it very brittle. Nevertheless, the recipes in this book will inspire you to come up with new ideas for your own creations.

Truly low carb pretzels are not easy to find. I wanted to make some for an ice cream idea that’s been buzzing in my head. They came out pretty good, but please take my advice: Get real pretzel salt. I used salt flakes from a cheap plastic salt grinder and it was way too salty. I’m allergic to sunflower seeds, so I just doubled the sesame seed flour in the recipe and it worked out really well. Do keep an eye on your pretzels while baking in the oven since they can burn real easy.

Ice Cream Junk and Stuff #1

Here are a few minor topics that I’d like to cover...

Low Carb Chocolate Brownies

I’ve tried many different low carb brownie recipes using different kinds of ingredients in place of sugar and flour. My assessment after countless experiments is that they all suck. They always come out dry and crumbly. I came up with my recipe based on Alton Brown’s episode of Good Eats. Brownies can be made from cocoa or chocolate. The difference is that cocoa lacks fat, so extra butter is needed. Low carb cocoa brownies come out too dry in my experience. I opt for using unsweetened 100% cacao chocolate instead. There are a few other tricks I employ. I add blackstrap molasses for flavor and to increase moisture. I use powdered erythritol to give the mixture the “bulk” that the sugar would have provided. Vegetable glycerine also keeps the brownies moist. I add a tablespoon of honey substitute for flavoring and because it contains thickeners that helps the starch-free flour bind better. I use sifted Carbalose flour, not Carbquik. Carbquik contains baking powder, which is a no-no for brownies. What? Your mom always made brownies with baking powder? Those aren’t brownies. Those are chocolate cake squares masquerading as brownies! Anyway, if you don’t have Carbalose flour or want to avoid gluten, try something else like almond meal or ground up pecans.

Low Carb Lemon Meringue Ice Cream

LorAnn Oils makes a Lemon Custard flavoring for ice creams that’s screaming for something to pair with. I could have made a low carb pie crust to throw in the mix, but I wanted to try something else. I figured meringues might be a good match, so I decided to give them a go. Low carb meringues are pretty simple and straightforward. I found a good recipe on All Day I Dream About Food. They take a while to bake, so make sure you give yourself enough time. They have to completely dry out in a warm oven, which takes about 3 hours in total.

Low Carb Coconut Ice Cream with Saffron

David Lebovitz posted a recipe for Quick Coconut Ice Cream with Saffron on his website. For David, this is certainly a “quick” recipe since he’s not making a custard, straining liquids, etc. I don’t normally need to use a stove when making ice cream, so for me, I don’t consider it quick.