This creamy low carb lemon custard recipe is ridiculously easy to make in your crock pot. No standing and stirring on the stove, just walk away and let it cook itself! This post is sponsored by Rockridge Press.
Things are really taking off in the ketogenic diet and low carb diet sphere, it would seem. You and I have known for ages that this low carb high fat lifestyle, while it goes against everything we learned growing up, is our path to better health. I’ve been doing this for 7+ years now and I know for certain that if I wasn’t, I’d be a full-blown Type 2 diabetic taking multiple medications to keep my blood glucose under control. Many of you have been doing this for years and have lost weight or gotten your own health concerns under better control. But now it feels like the world is starting to wake up to the reality: excess carbohydrates are the real culprit behind the health and obesity crisis that the western world is facing.
This awakening is evidenced by the sudden influx of low carb and keto cookbooks on the market. And hopefully you know by now that I have my own ketogenic cookbook coming out on October 3rd (Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen available for pre-orders now, yay!). But I also really love seeing what other people are doing in this arena and I am sure you do too. It’s always nice to have more recipes and more choices! I was asked to review Easy Ketogenic Diet Slow Cooking by Amy Ramos and of course I said yes. I love my slow cooker and have found it useful for so much more than soups and stews. It’s high summer right now and I use my slow cooker frequently because it helps me avoid turning on the oven and heating up the kitchen.
I can sit and read a cookbook cover to cover like it’s the best, most engaging, most thrilling novel I’ve ever read, and that’s what I did when my copy of Easy Ketogenic Diet Slow Cooking came. I sat with coffee in hand on my porch, thumbing through and getting ever more excited at the thought of testing out these recipes. I wanted to make so many of them right away but as I only have one slow cooker, I had to narrow it down. And of course I chose a dessert, as it highlights the true versatility and range of what a slow cooker can do. My eyes were instantly drawn to the custards and puddings that author Amy Ramos had created. And the Tempting Lemon Custard really did seem tempting indeed.
The method for essentially turns your slow cooker into a water bath, which I readily admit I’d never thought of. But it’s quite smart, as it slowly cooks and sets the custard right in the ramekins, as opposed to having to cook the eggs and cream in saucepan first. This gentle heat avoids the risk of curdling your egg yolks, which can happen ridiculously easily if you take your eyes of a saucepan on the stove. It’s so easy to make custard this way, no need for standing by the stove, constantly stirring and whisking. The hardest part for me was figuring out a way to put a rack into the bottom of my slow cooker. I can see the necessity of this, since having the ramekins right on the bottom might cause the custard to cook too quickly and curdle. But I had to jerry-rig something that would fit inside my oval 6 quart slow cooker. In the end I went with a steaming basket and it worked like a charm. I also used these sweet little jars instead of ceramic ramekins because they were so cute and were good for showing off the results of the recipe.
I actually didn’t expect to love these low carb lemon custards as much as I did. You know I am a chocolate girl through and through. But I was delighted with both the flavour and the texture, and I really enjoyed them, as did my girls and my husband. Which makes me all the more excited to try more recipes from this cookbook! With over 120 easy recipes to choose from, I think I can find more than a few that use my slow cooker to advantage. I have my eye on:
Nutty “Oatmeal”
Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Bars
Green Bean Casserole
Wild Mushroom Lamb Shanks
Braised Short Ribs
Peanut Butter Cheesecake
I do wish the book had more photos of the recipes, because I think that could only benefit the reader. But on the whole I’d say the Easy Ketogenic Diet Slow Cooking would be a great addition to your low carb cookbook collection. And three lucky winners can win a copy for themselves!
Easy Slow Cooker Lemon Custard
Ingredients
- 5 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon liquid stevia
- 2 cups whipping cream or coconut cream
- Lightly sweetened whipped cream or whipped coconut cream
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and liquid stevia.
- Whisk in the heavy cream and divide the mixture among 4 small ramekins or jars.
- Place a rack in the bottom of the slow cooker and place the ramekins on the rack. Add enough water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Cover and cook on low for 3 hours.
- Remove the ramekins from the slow cooker and let cool to room temperature, then chill completely in the refrigerator (about 3 hours). Top with whipped cream and serve.
Diane says
So so sad! My slow cooker has been on a little over 3.5 hours and these are liquid….what did I do wrong? I have no idea what to do now ): No where does it say what consistency these should be when removed from the water bath. SAD!
Carolyn says
Sorry. Blame the recipe on the cookbook… I did it exactly as written and it turned out fine.
ML Schnapp says
With only 4 servings and 2 cups of whipping cream, I think these are closer to 500-550 calories per serving without any added whipped cream on top. (Multiply 2 cups x 16 tablespoons x 60 calories per tablespoon = 1920 cal
1920/4 = 480 cal per serving, without the egg yolks or lemon juice or anything else.)
Not sure where the 319 cal per serving came from.
Carolyn says
The nutritional information came straight from the book. When reviewing someone else’s work, that’s how you do it. Per haps not such a good book after all.
Carla Eggerman says
Trying to get back low-carving and these recipes look delicious and easy!