Baked chocolate egg custards

Good-quality dark chocolate that has a cocoa content of 70 per cent or higher will be rich in antioxidants and will also contain less added sugar than low-quality brands.

Baked chocolate egg custards Credit: Reversing Diabetes

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 375 ml (13 fl oz/1½ cups) reduced-fat milk
• 50 g (1¾ oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthways
• 1 tsp chai masala powder (see Note)
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp Natvia sweetener (artificial sweetener)
• 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 20 raspberries

Chilling time: 2 hours

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F). Put four 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) capacity ramekins in a roasting tin.

Pour the milk into a small saucepan. Break the chocolate into small pieces and add to the pan, along with the vanilla seeds and the chai masala powder. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is just below boiling point. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment to whisk the eggs and sweetener for 1 minute or until frothy. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg mixture and stir until well combined. Strain the custard mixture into the prepared dishes and sprinkle with the nutmeg.

Pour enough boiling water into the roasting tin to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins and bake for 35–40 minutes or until the custards are set but still slightly wobbly.

Refrigerate the custards for 2 hours or until cold, then serve topped with the raspberries.

Note

• Chai masala powder is a dry Indian spice mix made up of cloves, ginger, cassia, cardamom and pepper. It can be found in Asian grocery stores, or you can make your own.

Nutrition (per serve)

Energy: 650 kJ

Protein: 8 g

Carbohydrate: 14 g

- Starches: 2 g

- Sugars: 12 g

Exchanges: 1

Portions: 1.5

GI: Low

GL: Low

Protein:carbohydrate ratio, 0.57

Fat: 8 g

Saturated fat: 1.5 g

- Unsaturated fat: 3.5 g

- Saturated:unsaturated ratio, 0.43

Fibre: 4 g

Sodium: 235 mg

Potassium: 570 mg

Sodium:potassium ratio, 0.41

Gluten free? No

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.