I love to cook, I love to eat, and one can give up only so much. I've cut waaaay back on butter, I've given up coffee (because of the cream), and we have desserts only occasionally. The latter is less of a hardship, since I do not have a serious sweet-tooth, although I admit that salt is a weakness. Still, sometimes recipes call for sugar.... so I'm experimenting with substitutes. Natural substitutes, that is; we quickly realized we could not abide Splenda. The newest product is agave nectar; I bought this at WalMart.
It is advertised as having a low glycemic index (i.e., it does not seriously increase blood sugar.) It is a little less viscous and sticky than honey; in terms of sweetness, the website suggests 2/3 cup of nectar substitutes for 1 cup of sugar (with adjustment to the amount of liquid in the recipe.)
Our neighbor at the lake gave us 2 dozen fresh eggs, right after we'd bought eggs at both the grocery store and the farm market. Oops. Baked custard uses 4 eggs, so.....
Beat 3 whole eggs plus one additional yolk in a mixing bowl; add a tiny pinch of salt, a scant 1/4 cup agave nectar, and 1 tsp. vanilla. When combined, add 2 cups less 2 Tbsp. milk. Pour into a ceramic or glass baking dish, dust with nutmeg if you like, and place on a rack in a pan of hot water (called a Bain Marie.) Bake in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes. Test by inserting a knife about one inch from side of dish; the knife should come away clean. The center of the custard will still have some 'shimmy' when it's time to remove the dish to a rack. Usually served chilled, with fresh fruit on top, but delicious while still warm, too. It ...um...makes a delicious breakfast.
I made one for us and one for the neighbor and his wife.
I don't use any sugar to speak of, but wine and other alcoholic beverages bring their own sugar that can't be avoided. For my morning oatmeal (to keep cholesterol low) I do add a tbsp. of local honey (supposed to have its own health benefits). Did you try the agave nectar in the fig bread? Now that I am swimming in figs, perhaps I will give that variation a try. I'll put it on the shopping list. Thanks for the info.
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