I have a confession to make.
I have kind of an obsession with pink peppercorns. When I went gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free, I began to drown my sorrows in a discovery of new spices and new vegetables (e.g. Jersusalem Artichokes, and Celeriac…that’s another post). One of these spices was pink peppercorns. Not actually related to black peppercorns, this spice shares a lift bit of heat implied by its misnomer, but also has an almost floral scent to it. I created this recipe and submitted it to the So Delicious 3-Course Recipe Contest at godairyfree.com. It’s a winner for me regardless.
- 4 cups So Delicious Original Creamer, divided
- 6 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pink peppercorns, crushed
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons non-hydrogenated margarine
- In a small bowl, whisk 1/2 cup creamer with the cornstarch and set aside. In a medium-large saucepan, whisk together remaining creamer, cocoa powder, sugar, peppercorns, and salt.
- Heat over medium-high heat until just boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low and slowly drizzle the cornstarch mixture into the saucepan while whisking continuously.
- Let cook until mixture becomes very thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and margarine. Strain through a mesh strainer to remove the peppercorns.
- Pour custard evenly into ramekins or coffee mugs. Serve warm if desired. If chilling it, place a piece of plastic wrap or greased parchment paper over each serving. Serve with non-dairy whipped topping and freshly ground pink peppercorns.
Another option:
Chocolate Creme Brûlée
Yeah, I said it. Chocolate…Creme…Brûlée. Simply portion the pudding in your preferred porringer (okay enough alliteration). Choose a dish that is heat-safe like a ramekin. Smooth out and chill. When ready to serve, sprinkle on about 1/2 a tablespoon of sugar over the pudding. Shake dish to evenly spread the sugar. Use a kitchen torch to melt the sugar and create the hard top.
Click Here to see one technic to melting the sugar for a creme brûlée.