Chocolate Cardamom Pots De Crème Recipes

CHOCOLATE POTS DE CREME

Steps:

• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Put the chocolate into a medium bowl. Combine the cream and milk in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let sit for 30 seconds or so to allow the chocolate to melt, then stir together until smooth.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla paste. Slowly stream the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, whisking constantly. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl or pitcher, then pour into six 4-ounce ramekins or ceramic cups or bowls.
• Arrange the ramekins in a baking dish or pan and carefully add enough hot water to come about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Carefully place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and let the pots de creme sit in the hot water for 5 minutes. If they still appear very jiggly in the middle, let them sit for another 5 minutes in the hot water. You want the custards to be very firm around the edges and to barely move toward the center when gently shaken.
• Remove the ramekins from the hot water and let cool in a cool area of the kitchen before serving, or chill to serve cold.

CHOCOLATE POTS DE CREME

Steps:

• Place the chocolate in a blender. Whisk the milk, 1 cup cream, egg yolks, granulated sugar and salt in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spatula and almost boiling, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Immediately pour the milk mixture over the chocolate in the blender. Cover and hold the lid with a thick kitchen towel; blend until combined and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed. Divide the chocolate mixture among ramekins or small cups and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
• Whip the remaining 1/2 cup cream and the confectioners' sugar with a mixer or in the blender until soft peaks form. Top the chilled pots de creme with whipped cream.

CHOCOLATE-CARDAMOM POTS DE CRèME

Steps:

• Combine the heavy cream and cardamom in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high until just boiling. Turn the heat off, cover and steep until infused, 2 hours.
• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 300 degrees. Arrange 6 to 8 (4- to 6-ounce) oven-safe ramekins in a roasting pan or large baking dish at least 2 inches deep.
• Strain the infused cream through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the cardamom pods. Wipe out the saucepan. Add 1 cup/240 milliliters of the infused cream to the saucepan along with the whole milk. Chill remaining infused cream in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Bring the cream and milk mixture to a boil, then remove from the heat. Add the chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth.
• In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks, vanilla, salt and 2 tablespoons sugar and whisk by hand or using an electric mixer until pale yellow, foamy and thickened, about 3 minutes.
• Whisking constantly, slowly pour the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until well combined. Transfer the custard to a measuring cup or other container with a spout. You should have about 4 cups of custard.
• Divide the custard among the ramekins and carefully transfer the roasting pan to the oven. Pour hot tap water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Tent the pan with a piece of aluminum foil and use a fork or paring knife to poke a few holes in the foil.
• Bake the pots de crème until the tops are set but still jiggly, 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the ramekins. The custard will puff up slightly as it bakes, then deflate as it cools. Remove the foil, and let the pots cool in the pan for a few minutes, until they are easier to handle, then transfer them to a rack to cool to room temperature.
• Transfer to the refrigerator and chill until completely cool, at least 2 hours. (These can be made up to 2 days in advance.) Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap if you plan to keep them in the refrigerator for more than a couple of hours after they have cooled. To serve, whisk reserved infused cream to soft peaks (it will be loose) with 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar and top each pot de crème with a dollop of cream.

CHOCOLATE POTS DE CRèME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Bring cream and milk just to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until melted and smooth. Whisk yolks and sugar in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in hot chocolate mixture. Strain mixture into another bowl. Cool 10 minutes, skimming any foam from surface.
• Divide custard mixture among six 3/4-cup custard cups or soufflé dishes. Cover each with foil. Place cups in large baking pan. Add enough hot water to pan to come halfway up sides of cups. Bake until custards are set but centers still move slightly when gently shaken, about 55 minutes. Remove from water. Remove foil. Chill custards until cold, about 3 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.)

EXTRA-BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE POTS DE CRèME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a heavy saucepan, bring cream and milk to a boil. Remove from heat; whisk in chopped chocolate until smooth.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar and salt. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot chocolate into yolks. Strain through a very fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl.
• Divide mixture among 2- to 4-ounce espresso cups or small ramekins. Set filled cups in a large roasting pan that has been positioned on center rack of oven. Add hot tap water to pan, halfway up sides of cups. Cover pan with foil; use a fork to prick holes in foil.
• Bake until edges are lightly set (lifting foil to check) but center is still jiggly - it will set as it cools - 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer cups to a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving with crème fraîche or whipped cream.

CHOCOLATE POTS DE CRèME WITH CRèME FRAîCHE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. In a heavy saucepan, bring the cream and the milk to a boil. Remove from heat; whisk in the chopped chocolate and the espresso powder and mix until smooth.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and salt. Whisking constantly, slowly pour the hot chocolate into the yolk mixture to temper. Next, strain the mixture through a very fine sieve into a large capacity measuring cup or bowl (at least 4 cups. Straining removes any bits of possibly curdled or cooked egg so your custard is smooth and silky.)
• Divide the mixture among several 2 oz. espresso cups, ovenproof glass mini-cups, or, 4 oz. small ramekins. Set the filled cups in a roasting pan that has been positioned on the center rack of oven. Add hot tap water to the pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the cups. Cover the pan with foil, then pierce a few holes in foil with a fork, so the steam can escape.
• Bake until the edges are lightly set (lifting foil to check), but the center is still giggly-it will set completely as it cools, about 30 to 35 minutes, depending on the size of the mini cups or ramekins.
• Transfer the cups to a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Top with crème fraîche or whipped cream. Add a few chocolate shavings and serve.

COFFEE-CARDAMOM POTS DE CREME

Steps:

• Put the coffee beans and cardamom pods in the work bowl of a food processor and pulse on and off several times to roughly chop -- not grind -- them. Turn the chopped beans and pods into a medium saucepan and add 1/2 cup of the sugar. Put the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the sugar starts to melt. Once the sugar has melted, continue to cook, still stirring without stop, until the sugar caramelizes -- you want the color of the caramel to be deep amber, almost mahogany. Now, standing away from the stove so you don't get splattered, slowly pour in 1 cup of the cream and the milk. Don't panic -- the caramel will immediately seize and harden, but it will all smooth out as the liquids warm and the sugar melts again. Bring the mixture to a boil and, when the sugar has melted and everything is smooth again, pull the pan from the heat. Cover the pan (we do this with plastic wrap at the cafe to get a good seal) and allow the mixture to infuse for 20 minutes.
• Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Working in a bowl that's large enough to hold all the ingredients, whisk the yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar together until the mixture is pale and thick. Strain the coffee-cardamom liquid into a measuring cup (discard the beans and pods) and add enough heavy cream to bring the liquid up to 2 cups. Very gradually and very gently -- you don't want to create air bubbles -- whisk the liquid into the egg mixture; skim off the top foam, if there is any.
• Arrange six 4-ounce espresso or custard cups in a small roasting pan, leaving an even amount of space between them, and fill each cup nearly to the top with the custard mixture. Carefully slide the pan into the oven; then, using a pitcher, fill the roasting pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the espresso cups. Cover the pan with plastic wrap (don't worry -- it can stand the heat) and poke two holes in two opposite corners. Bake the custards for about 40 minutes, or until the edges darken ever so slightly and the custards are set but still jiggle a little in the center when you shake them gently.
• Remove the pan from the oven and let the custards sit in the water bath for 10 minutes. Peel off the plastic wrap, lift the cups out of the water, and cool the custards in the refrigerator. (The pots de creme can be prepared a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator; when they are cool, cover them with plastic wrap.)
• To serve: The pots de creme are at their best at room temperature, so remove them from the refrigerator and keep them on the counter for about 20 minutes before serving.
• To drink: A deluxe cream sherry, perhaps a Pedro Ximenez

CHOCOLATE POTS DE CRèME

Steps:

• Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl and set aside.
• Combine the cream, half-and-half, salt, and 3 tablespoons of the sugar in a medium saucepan and put over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, just until it starts to approach a simmer, about 4 minutes-you'll know it's ready when small bubbles appear around the edge of the pan. Remove from the heat.
• Combine the egg yolks and the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl, and whisk until combined and smooth. Whisking the eggs constantly, slowly pour in about 1 cup of the milk mixture. Then pour the yolk mixture into the pan, whisking constantly until smooth.
• Put the pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof rubber spatula, until the mixture is thick and about the consistency of a pureed soup, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Pour the cream mixture over the chopped chocolate and let stand for 3 to 5 minutes. Then slowly and gently stir with a whisk-try not to incorporate any air. When smooth, add the vanilla extract and stir again to blend. Pour the mixture through a fine strainer into a large-lipped measuring cup.
• Divide evenly into eight 4-ounce cups or ramekins and refrigerate, uncovered. After 2 hours, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours longer.
• To serve, let the ramekins come to room temperature (about 30 minutes) and then top with the whipped cream and shaved chocolate.
• The type of chocolate you use has a significant impact on the flavor and texture of this luscious dessert. With bittersweet chocolate (60 to 65 percent cacao), the pots will be intensely chocolaty and almost truffle-like; using semisweet chocolate (around 52 percent cacao) yields a sweeter, mellower, more pudding-like treat.

CHOCOLATE POTS DE CREME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bring half-and-half just to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from heat; add chocolate and sugar. Let stand 5 minutes.
• In a large bowl, stir together yolks, vanilla, cocoa, salt, and liqueur if desired. With a fork, stir chocolate mixture until smooth, then gradually stir into yolk mixture. Pour through a fine sieve into a glass measuring cup.
• Place 4 custard cups or ramekins (3 to 4 ounces each) in a shallow roasting pan, and divide chocolate mixture among them. Pour hot water into the pan so it reaches halfway up the sides of cups.
• Bake until custards are almost set in centers, about 30 minutes (custards will firm as they cool). Carefully remove cups from hot-water bath; let cool slightly.
• Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate. Just before serving, dollop with whipped cream, if desired.