Familiar with tarragon?
If the answer is no: Tarragon is a herb. It grows in Europe, North America, and Asia. Subspecies vary, but French tarragon is mostly used in culinary. Especially in French cuisine. While the French usually use it to spice up chicken, fish, or eggs, our country's tradition is to add it mainly to desserts. Especially to a nut roll.
Nothing beats the smell of tarragon. Have no idea what I'm talking about? You have no idea what you've been missing your whole life! Until now?
It's an Easter thing
Homemade nut rolls are widely baked and eaten during holy days (at least in my part of the world). As you can guess, while the keto community can freely enjoy ham and eggs that we get plenty of for Easter, we can only look away when it comes to nut rolls. They usually smell so nice, I have to run away. The tarragon variation of a nut roll is something I had missed for a couple of years now. Naturally, I wouldn't be myself if I didn't try and make a low-carb, gluten, and sugar-free version.
I don't care! About what?
The day my significant other got to try the roll I had just baked, he wanted to eat the whole thing. I needed to stop him because I had to at least take the pictures first. And eat half of the roll myself. I act selfishly when it comes to this very dessert because I am the one who never again goes for the traditional baked goods. Contrary, he gets to enjoy this occasional luxury since it doesn't bring him health problems (only half a pound of additional weight ;-)) So he gets his aunt's supposedly terrific tarragon roll for Easter, and I get to eat the majority of my keto-friendly version. Understandable, right?
So, while we were sitting at the kitchen table and enjoying the freshly baked treat, he asked: Are non-Eropean folks going to consider this recipe at all? Do they use tarragon in their treats? Is the keto community missing these nut rolls as much as you?
My answer was: I don't care! This dessert is what I have made to treat myself. As much as I do care about what my dear readers like to bake, cook, and consume, I won't mind if this queen of nut rolls is baked in my kitchen alone. It's delicious. And you guys, who are never going to try it, can be seriously jealous of me.
By the way, if you use blanched almonds, the filling will stay relatively pale, while it gets darker if you use whole ground almonds.
The procedure gets a tiny bit tricky 'n' sticky at times, but it is worth it, oh yes!
Recipe
The "I don't care!" roll
Ingredients
The dough
- 4.5 oz mozzarella cheese - shredded
- ½ tablespoon butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2.5 oz almond flour - approx. ½ cup
- 1 oz coconut flour - approx. ¼ cup
- 3 tablespoon psyllium husks powder
- 2 tablespoon erythritol
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
The filling
- ½ cup sour cream
- 3 oz blanched almonds - ground
- ¼ cup erythritol - or more to taste
- 4 tablespoon tarragon - dried
- 2 large egg whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 tablespoon butter - melted
The topping
- 1 large egg yolk
Instructions
The dough
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare a deep baking dish approximately 4-inch wide and 12-inch long. No need to line it with parchment paper. Begin by separating two eggs: Put two egg whites into a medium bowl and store two egg yolks separately (one in a small dish, the other in a medium bowl).
- In a bowl, sift together the flours and mix them with baking powder, psyllium husk powder, and erythritol. In another bowl, mix a whole egg with one egg yolk.
- Put shredded mozzarella and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes on 400W power.
- Stir with a spatula and add the flour mixture. Mix with your hands if not too hot. Add the egg mixture and knead. Microwave for 15 seconds more and knead again until you get almost an entirely uniform dough.
- Put a sheet of parchment paper underneath the dough and another sheet of parchment on top of it. Roll the dough out into a square shape of the same width as the baking dish. Set aside.
The filling
- In a medium bowl, mix together the sour cream, erythritol, ground almonds, and tarragon.
- In another bowl, mix the egg whites until fluffy. Add cream of tartar and mix until soft peaks form. Carefully fold the whites into the filling.
Assembly
- Spread the melted butter on the rolled-out dough. Now, spread the filling as well.
- Helping yourself with the parchment paper, roll together the tarragon roll, lift it up and place into the baking dish.
- Spread the remaining egg yolk on top of the roll. Poke some holes into the roll and place in the oven.
- Bake for approximately 45 minutes. Let it cool on a rack. Prepare for your kitchen to smell amazing! Before serving, sprinkle with some powdered erythritol. Cut out 12 pieces and enjoy.
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