Chocolate Orange Custard

Recipe by: Diane Garber of willpoweryourday.com – PCRM Food-for-Life Trainer

Ingredients:

• NEEDED for a water bath, separate from the recipe ingredients: About 2 cups hot water from a tea kettle
• SEPARATED: 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
• 1 1/2 orange – separated (1/2 orange is used for the custard, 1 orange is roasted for decorative slices)
• 3 – 6 Tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1/2 cup finely ground rolled oats/gf oats
• SEPARATED: 4+ teaspoons Chocolate Orange Balsamic (1 overflowing teaspoon per serving)
• Optional: Vegan chocolate chips, sliced almonds

Directions:

1. In Food Processor, add ¾ cup of water and rolled oats. Pulse until liquefied, set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. This recipe calls for a water bath – choose a baking dish that will hold 4 ramekins. Thinly slice the whole orange so that thin, round discs are created. Place the discs on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper – place this cookie sheet on the higher rack in the preheated oven.
3. Place ¾ cup of the water, arrowroot powder in a large saucepan. No heat right now — stir to combine.
4. Use 1/2 of an orange – use a microplane to remove the outer orange rind (lightly remove the rind, only remove the orange color, not the white pith.) Squeeze the juice from the ½ orange (include the rind if desired – otherwise save the rind for later) directly into the saucepan.
5. Add the set aside oat water mixture and 3 T of frozen orange juice concentrate to saucepan. Stir – still, no heat.
6. Now, use medium heat and stir the saucepan mixture – after a few minutes, it will thicken.
7. Once it has thickened, slightly reduce the heat. Take a small sample to test for sweetness, knowing that the Chocolate Orange Balsamic will definitely add in a sweet kick when added later. (optional: Some individuals may choose to add in another 1T – 3T of the frozen OJ concentrate for maximum sweetness)
8. Once the sweetness is desired, pour out 1/4 of the mixture into each of 4 ramekins. Place each ramekin inside a DRY baking dish. Add 1 overflowing teaspoon of the Chocolate Orange Balsamic Vinegar into each ramekin. Stir each serving well.
9. Open the hot oven. Place the baking dish on the lower rack. NOW, slowly and carefully pour in the heated tea kettle water so that the ‘water bath’ is about 1/2 of the height of the ramekin. Bake for 40 minutes.
10. Carefully remove the custards from the lower oven rack. After 15 minutes, with POTHOLDERS, remove each ramekin from the bath.
11. Now, remove the tray of thinly sliced oranges. Top each ramekin with an orange slice. Use the remaining orange slices for garnishes, snacks, desserts. – Serve warm or chilled. Refrigerate after the custards have cooled.