Dessert Time!

I have a confession. On Saturday I fell off the wagon - big time. Jeff and I went to our friends' house for an excellent (healthy!) dinner of grilled chicken and vegetables, but I couldn't control myself. I just had to munch some cheese with crackers and fruit, and I just had to take along the loveliest lemon pie I've ever eaten.  After all, I had been thinking about that pie since I heard the original discussion on NPR back in April. (Here's the recipe, if you're curious: http://www.npr.org/2013/04/11/176279512/a-north-carolina-pie-that-elicits-an-oh-my-god-response ) So, what's a girl to do but give in sometimes - to the tune of 44.5 grams of carbs per slice. (Yes, you read that correctly - 4.5 days worth of carbs if you are doing Atkins induction!) From the first bite of the crust concoction to licking the bowl to eating a slice after it had chilled all day, I knew I was hooked. So, what now? Time to find a way to replicate the pie without all the carbs (which I'm still working on), and try a couple of other sweet treats along the way.

As soon as I finished making the pie Saturday morning, I was faced with four left over egg whites, so I decided to try some sugar free meringues. The egg whites, of course, went right to stiff peaks, but never got glossy. I assume this is due to the substitution of Splenda for sugar. The addition of vanilla and cocoa powder enhanced the flavor, but not the texture. Finally, I decided to bake them - glossy or not. Once in the oven, the airiness departed and the meringues came out more like wafers. They taste good, but they aren't pretty at all, and they crumble even more easily than normal meringues.

Next, I considered how to adapt that gorgeous lemon pie. The first hurdle, of course, is the distinctive saltine-cracker crust. This crust - so salty, crunchy, and buttery - makes the pie. (I was reminded of watching my dad butter his saltine crackers before eating them and wondered of the pie's creator had the same experience.) After looking at several online forums and blogs, it appears that many low carb people are using nuts (specifically pecans and walnuts) to create pie crust. While I adore pecans, I think this pie needs a more delicate touch. I'm considering using salted and roasted cashews or macadamia nuts instead. (I'll let you know once I try it!) The next problem with recreating this pie is replacing the sweetened condensed milk. Once again, Google was my friend. I found several recipes posted on the lowcarbfriends.com bulletin board, and ended up combining a couple to make my own last night.

Of course, as soon as I created the sweetened condensed milk substitute, I had to use it in a dessert. Enter flan. (Perhaps not the best choice in retrospect, but my son has lately taken a shine to this custard, and I wanted to make something he'd eat.) The result of my endeavors is satisfactory, but not over-the-top deluxe. While the texture is creamy, it is not as smooth as I had hoped it would be. (The custard appears lumpy, but it actually is not. It seems to have air pockets that keep it from looking smooth and dense.) In addition, I had a little trouble getting it out of the pie plate. Because it is not particularly pretty as a large dessert, next time I'll make it in individual ramekins with sauce on top and serve it in the cups. While it doesn't look great, the taste is pretty darn good. It has the definite egg custard taste of flan, and the fake caramel syrup adds the right level of sweetness to it. Unfortunately, it lacks the subtle depth of flavor from caramelized sugar. (Sigh.)

Perhaps with time and with an ongoing effort to not consume so much sugar, my brain will forget some the subtleties of decadent sweets. (At least that's what I keep telling myself.) On the bright side, I have found a few ready-made treats that are delicious including low carb ice cream (both Breyer's and Lucerne) and some sugar-free Russell Stover candy (coconut, peppermint patties, and pecan clusters are all good). In the meantime, I'll keep looking for ways around sugars and carbs in pursuit of a healthier me. Enjoy!

Low Carb Meringues

4 egg whites (0 net carbs)
1 cup Splenda (24 net carbs)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar (.8 net carbs)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (0 net carbs)
4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder (1.3 net carbs)

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
• Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form.
• Gradually add the Splenda and continue beating until it is fully incorporated and stiff peaks form. (Usually, one beats this mixture until it turns glossy; however, mine never did).
• Beat in the vanilla and the cocoa.
• Either drop the meringues from a teaspoon or pipe them from a large pastry bag (my preferred method because it is easier to get them all the same size).
• Bake the meringues for one hour. Turn off the heat, but allow the meringues to remain in the oven for at least another hour. (This drying time depends on the humidity in the air. Living in the desert, it doesn't take long for my meringues to become melt-aways.)

Note: When I decided to make these, I thought the meringues might need the bulk from the Splenda. However, since they did not turn glossy, next time I will try them with liquid sucralose to save the addition of 24 carbs.)

Entire batch = 26.1 net carbs. I came out with 90 small meringue cookies at .3 net carbs each. By using liquid sucralose the total carb count would be 2.1 for the entire batch which comes out to .023 net carbs each.

 

Sweetened Condensed Milk Substitute

2 cans (7.6 ounces each) Nestle Media Crema - canned table cream available on the Mexican food aisle of the grocery store. I purchased mine at Walmart (1 net carb per tablespoon for a total of 30 carbs for two cans - Compare this to 11 carbs per tablespoon for Eagle Brand!)
one egg (0 net carbs)
liquid sucralose (0 net carbs - I added two "squirts," but I suggest tasting it to check for sweetness.)

• Pour both cans of media crema into a medium saucepan.
• Whisk in the egg until thoroughly combined.
• Cook over low to medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches the thickness of condensed milk. (Mine became thick pretty quickly; I did not allow it to boil, though.)
• Remove from heat and whisk in the liquid sucralose.
• Transfer to a glass container and refrigerate until ready for use.

Entire batch = 30 net carbs (instead of the 220 in a can of sweetened condensed milk)

Note: I found several variations of recipes for this substitution on lowcarbfriends.com. Most either called for more eggs (or just egg yolks) or used powdered eggs with the media crema. Since I forgot to get powdered eggs, I opted for a combination of the two basic recipes I found.)

Sugar Free Flan

1 batch of sweetened condensed milk substitute (30 net carbs)
12 ounces heavy cream (0 net carbs)
3 eggs (0 net carbs)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (0 net carbs)
Caramel flavored sugar free syrup (0 net carbs - I used Walden Farms brand, which we found in the diabetic section at Fry's grocery. The Da Vinci caramel might be better, but I haven't tried it.)
Liquid sucralose to equal one cup of sugar (0 net carbs)

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Coat the bottom of a pie plate with 1/8 cup of the caramel syrup.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until fluffy.
• Beat in the sweetened condensed milk substitute and the heavy cream.
• Stir in the vanilla extract and liquid sucralose.
• Pour the egg mixture into the pie plate and cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake for one hour.
• Allow the flan to cool completely. (I left mine in the fridge over night.)
• To serve: invert the flan onto a large serving plate. Add more caramel syrup over the top, spreading to allow it to trickle down the sides of the custard.

Entire flan = 30 net carbs, or 3.75 carbs per serving (8 servings)

Note: Since this wasn't as pretty as "real" flan, it might be better to make pour the custard into individual cups instead of using a pie plate. (Watch the custard, though, as these will cook faster.)Then, add a little syrup to the top of each just before serving.