I love custards – spiced, plain vanilla, fruity, coffee-flavoured . . . But chocolate peppermint has to be my favourite! This one is rich, creamy, and satisfying – the dark, almost bitter chocolate is cut through by the fresh peppermint.
I think eating desserts for breakfast is great, as long as they are full of proteins/ fats/ healthy carbs/ vitamins and nutrients. To squeeze in some extra fibre, I mixed some psyllium husks with yoghurt, peppermint essence and a touch of dextrose. To this I added spirulina for the green colour as well as protein, B-complex vitamins, vitamin E, and a variety of other benefits! I used this paste to top my chilled custard, along with some cacao nibs for crunch and antioxidants, pumpkin seeds for healthy fats and a sprinkle of green, and a chocolate-mint sprig from my herb garden.
This recipe can be gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, nut-free, and egg-free.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves 1
Ingredients:
– 2 rounded Tablespoons custard powder (or cornstarch)
– 2-3 Tablespoons cocoa powder (depending how dark you want it)
– 1-2 teaspoons dextrose, to taste
– 1 1/3 cups milk of choice
– 1/4-2/3 teaspoon peppermint essence, to taste
– yoghurt, mint sprigs, cacao nibs, etc. to garnish
Method:
1. Mix together the custard powder, dextrose, and cocoa in a saucepan. Whisk in the milk.
2. Cook over a low heat, whisking constantly, until smooth and thickened. Add the peppermint essence, whisk, and taste. Adjust the sweetener/ peppermint according to how you like it.
3. Pour into a bowl and eat hot or cold (leave to sit uncovered in the refrigerator if you want it chilled – this will form a skin on top, which I don’t mind, but if you can’t stand this, cover with cling wrap that touches the custard). Top with whatever you like, and enjoy! 🙂
