Extra Bittersweet Chocolate Pots De Crème A Classic French Dessert Recipes

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 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.

CLASSIC FRENCH CHOCOLATE POTS DE CRèME

Steps:

• Step 1 - Preheat your oven to 325F(160C) with a rack in the middle.
• Step 2 - In a medium saucepan, slowly warm up the heavy cream with the chopped chocolate over medium-low heat. Do not bring up to a boil - just warm up enough to melt the chocolate. Stir occasionally and remove from the heat when the chocolate is melted.
• Step 3 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and salt together for 2 minutes until pale and fluffy. Pour 2 tablespoons of the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture and whisk (this tempers the egg yolks so they don't curdle later). Slowly stir in the rest of the hot cream while continuously whisking.
• Step 4 - Fill 6 small [120ml - ½ cup] pots or ramekins with the chocolate cream. Place the pots into a large baking dish and fill this dish with hot water ¾ up the sides of the pots.
• Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and carefully remove the ramekins from the baking dish. Let cool completely to room temperature before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating.
• Chill for at least 3 hours before enjoying. For serving, top each pot with a dollop of whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

EXTRA-BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE POTS DE CRèME

Steps:

• Step 1 Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. In a heavy saucepan, bring cream and milk to a boil. Remove from heat, and whisk in chopped chocolate until smooth.
• Step 2 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.
• Step 3 Divide mixture among 5 small ramekins. Set filled cups in a large roasting pan that has been positioned on the center rack of the oven. Add hot tap water to the pan, halfway up sides of cups. Cover the pan with foil, use a fork to prick holes in foil.
• Step 4 Bake until edges are lightly set (lifting the 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 creme fraiche or whipped cream.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE POTS DE CRèME

Steps:

• Heat the half-and-half and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until scalding hot. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl. Slowly whisk the hot milk mixture into the eggs. Return the milk mixture to the pan, reduce the heat to low, and whisk until it thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate chips, sugar, and a pinch of salt; whisk until melted. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Divide the mixture between two 6-oz. ramekins or serving glasses. Refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour.

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.)

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.

CHOCOLATE POTS DE CRèME (COOKING FOR 2)

Steps:

• Place chocolate chips, sugar, salt and vanilla in blender.
• In small microwavable bowl, microwave whipping cream uncovered on High, in 20-second increments, 1 to 2 minutes or until cream begins to boil. Pour hot cream into blender; cover and blend until smooth.
• Pour chocolate mixture into 2 small dessert bowls. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours until set and cold. Garnish with sweetened whipped cream and chocolate curls.

CHOCOLATE POTS DE CRèME

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Set six 4- to 6-ounce (125- to 180-ml) ramekins or custard cups in a roasting pan or deep baking dish.
• Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. In a medium saucepan, heat the half-and-half, sugar, instant espresso or coffee powder, if using, and salt until quite hot, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the hot half-and-half mixture over the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Let cool until tepid, then whisk in the egg yolks and the vanilla. (If the mixture looks at all grainy, whisk well or purée in a blender until smooth.)
• Transfer the custard mixture to a large measuring cup or pitcher and divide evenly among the ramekins.
• Fill the roasting pan or baking dish with warm water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the perimeters of the custards are just set and the centers are still slightly jiggly, about 35 minutes.
• Transfer the custards from the water bath to a wire rack and let cool.
• Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, garnished with small mounds of whipped cream (page 239) and chocolate shavings (see page 8).
• The custard mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before baking. Once baked, the custards can be chilled for up to 2 days (although they're much better when they haven't been refrigerated). Bring them to room temperature before serving.

BAILEYS CHOCOLATE POTS DE CREME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Add chopped chocolate to a large bowl. Heat cream and a pinch of salt in a small pot until it just comes to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Let cool slightly, then stir in the Baileys Irish Cream and vanilla.
• In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Slowly drizzle the warm chocolate into the egg mixture while stirring. Strain the mixture through a sieve into another container and let cool completely (15 - 20 minutes).
• Pour the custard mixture evenly into custard pots, baking dishes, or ramekins. Place the dishes into a deep pan and fill pan with hot water until half way up the sides of the ramekins. Tightly cover with pots de creme lids or aluminum foil poked with a few holes.
• Bake until custard is set around edges but still slightly liquid in center (about 35 - 45 minutes). Custard will become firmer as it cools.
• Remove pots de creme from water bath, remove lids or foil, and let cool at room temperature for about an hour. Transfer to refrigerator and cool completely (at least 3 hours). You can make these up to two days ahead of time.
• Serve cold with a dollop of whipped cream on top.