Dessert
Low Calorie Chocolate Pots
Posted On June 4, 2019 By Kathryn
These low calorie chocolate pots are from my book Skinny Desserts – meaning each one is less than 300 calories. There is nothing lacking here. These are about as indulgent as a chocolate pudding can get. No cook chocolate pots which are made with great quality 70% chocolate, eggs, sugar, butter and scented with fennel – the end result is a decadent mousse. Everyone asks me what the secret to it is -why/how are they low calorie. There are no tricks, no substitutions or hidden ingredients.
Choosing great chocolate is key. The flavour and quality of a good chocolate will give these chocolate pots the flavour and substance they need to make a little go a long way. Not very much sugar is used – it ‘s not necessary. If you are a lover of dark chocolate, I imagine you like it for its bitter qualities, so it makes no sense to mask the very best thing about dark chocolate with a tonne of sugar. Egg yolks and butter (again, not very much) give the mousse its decadent texture, while egg whites serve to lighten everything, and conveniently increase the quantity of the mousse, doubling it in size. More mousse without any more calories.
Crème fraiche and pomegranate seeds are the perfect finish, adding sharpness and texture. This is the perfect dessert recipe for entertaining. It could not be easier, it is quick and requires little to no skill to execute it well. The only places you are likely to trip up is when it comes to folding the egg whites into the chocolate. Make sure the chocolate is cool enough before beating in the egg yolks and folding in the egg whites. Work gently with the egg whites, trying to keep in as much of the air as possible. Do that, and you will sail through this recipe.
Photo credit Laura Edwards
Styling be me.
Ingredients
Serves 6
160g (5½oz) dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids, broken into pieces
50g (1¾oz) caster sugar
50g (1¾oz) unsalted butter, cubed
1 heaped tablespoon fennel seeds
pinch of sea salt
2 medium eggs, separated
30g (1oz) half-fat crème fraîche
20g (¾oz) fresh pomegranate seeds, to decorate
Method
Place the chocolate, sugar, butter, fennel seeds and salt in a heatproof bowl with 50ml (1¾fl oz) water.
Place over a saucepan of barely simmering water, ensuring the bowl does not touch the water.
Melt the chocolate, stirring from time to time. It is important to melt the chocolate as slowly as possible, to allow the maximum time for the fennel flavour to infuse.
Once melted, turn off the heat and leave for another 10 minutes. There will be enough steam to keep the chocolate warm while the fennel flavour continues infusing.
When ready, pass the chocolate through a sieve into a medium bowl. Scrape the bottom of the sieve to ensure you have as much of the chocolate as possible and then discard the fennel seeds.
Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form.
Whisk the egg yolks into the chocolate and then fold in the egg whites.
Spoon into six 100ml (3½fl oz) glasses or cups and refrigerate until completely set – 2–3 hours or overnight.
To serve, top each with a spoonful of crème fraîche and decorate with fresh pomegranate seeds.
Tip: if you have used a fresh pomegranate, it is nice to drizzle a little pomegranate juice over the chocolate pots before serving.