When I move to California, I brought my two cats and all our furniture... but I also made sure I had 3kg of this Hazelnut butter from Prana bio. You can do you're own hazelnut butter, but this one is divine! I posted a few weeks ago my homemade hazelnut & chocolate spread recipe remember? Yum! If you like the "Nutella" taste, you are definitely going to like these vegan chocolate, hazelnut & fleur de sel "pot de crème". So easy to do!

I love this recipe! Whenever I need a "one pan" desert, this is the one I do. Only 7 ingredients and almost no dishes! Who wouldn't love that ? The combination of the dark chocolate, the hazelnut butter and the "fleur de sel" makes this a rather irresistible dessert, indeed. This is the richer, creamier, and smoother dessert that I can think of. Compared to my Mocha avocado chia pudding, this recipe is more like a super silky dense mousse. It would totally work on a crust too and make a wonderful pie! My husband likes his with a tiny bit of coffee extract. And you know what? It's made without eggs, heavy creme and refined sugar so it's 100% more healthy then the traditional french pot de crème!

The last few months, I've been playing with agar agar flakes. Agar is a white seaweed that dissolves in hot liquid and acts like gelatine when cooled. It's the perfect vegetarian substitute to gelatine (which is derived from animal collagen) in tarts, frostings, nut cheeses, mousses, panna cotta (see my vegan pumpkin panna cotta) or even fruit glazes. You can find it in two forms: powder or flakes. I personally choose flakes mostly because they are available almost in every natural food store. If you find powdered agar, note that 1 teaspoon equals 1 tablespoon of flakes.

I really feel like a chemist trying to find the right amount for each recipe. Agar can be kind of tricky... If you add too much, you will have a thick and unpleasant result. At the opposite, if you don't add enough flakes, you will end up with a dessert that doesn't hold together. But I encourage you to try it. I don't know why I waited that long to try it. It's so easy to use and in my opinion... it's a must have in a plant-based pantry!

When working with agar-agar, make sure you :

Measure carefully your agar-agar, a slight difference could result in a completely different texture.
Add acid ingredients (lemon or orange juice, vinegar, apple cider) after dissolving the agar, because high acid content will prevent it from setting.
When simmering the agar, whisk frequently to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Dissolve your agar in any liquid before adding more ingredients ; I suggest plant-based milks, coconut milk or juices.
Check with a spoon if the agar is completely dissolved in the liquid. If you still see flakes, continue to simmer.
If the recipe allows it, try to put your dissolved agar mixture in the blender before pouring into the fridge to set. That way, you will have a smooth texture and won't bite into any "grainy" undissolved flakes.

Hazelnut, bittersweet chocolat & fleur de sel "pot de crème" (vegan, gluten-free)

Yield : 8 small bowls

Ingredients :

1 tablespoon agar-agar flakes
2 cups almond milk (or other milk of your choice)
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup hazelnut butter (you can use almond butter or an other nut butter)
175g bittersweet chocolat (coarsely chopped)
1/4 teaspoon "fleur de sel" or sea salt flakes
Roasted hazelnut (chopped) and coconut whipped (recipe here)

In a small saucepan, add milk, coconut sugar and 1 tablespoon of agar flakes. Whisk and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low and simmer for 5 minutes (whisking constantly) or until the agar is completely dissolved.
Remove from heat, add the chopped chocolate, vanilla, salt and hazelnut butter and stir well until combined.
Pour the mixture into a blender and blend for a few seconds.
Divide among bowls and place in the fridge to set for at least 4 hours. You can make this recipe ahead.
Cover with cocoa powder or garnish with chopped roasted hazelnut and coconut whipped cream. Sprinkle some extra "fleur de sel" on top on the mousse. Or chunks of "fleur de sel" chocolate!