I love my InstantPot. I was a vegetarian for over 20 years. I have heard great things about Urvashi Pitre, but have never really looked at her recipes. When I saw InstantPot Miracle Vegetarian Cookbook: More Than 100 Easy Meatless Meals for Your Favorite Kitchen Device available for request on NetGalley, it seemed like a good ask. I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Shortly before I received the arc, I cleaned out the pantry and discovered that we somehow have 4 mostly full, within use by date, containers of cocoa powder. I don’t know how it happened. I vowed to make a lot more desserts involving cocoa powder. When I get a cookbook to review, the first thing I do is check the dessert section. The very first recipe is Hot Fudge Pudding Cake and it calls for 3/4 cup of cocoa powder. I had everything on hand to make this cake and the process looked interesting. I announced there would be chocolate cake in an hour and got no guff from my housemates. I keep one of my housemates, Rich, supplied with access to dessert at all times. If I slack off he goes to the dollar store and buys the most horrendous garbage “dessert-like food.” It hurts my soul.
The directions called for a step I haven’t seen before and I was curious how it would turn out. InstantPots make great cheesecake (seriously buy an InstantPot and make a cheesecake), lava cakes, puddings, and custards. The moist cooking environment works well for them. This cake was like a solid pudding, a mouse with more structure or a deep, less eggy flan. Which ever description works for you. it was chocolatey, but not as chocolatey as a mousse. If I had been the only person eating it, I would have shrugged and moved on. Rich fell in love with it. He has told me it is the best thing I have ever made and he would very much like me to make it more often. I have already made it twice in one week. As awful as the world is right now, I am happy to make something that makes someone happy.
Anyway, I’m going to have to buy this cookbook because I will be making this cake until one of us dies, and if I die first, someone else will need to be able to make the cake.
As for the other over a hundred recipes, some look better than others. I think this is a good cookbook for busy vegetarians or people who want to eat some meatless meals.