Pot De Chocolat By Peg Bracken Recipes

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.

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.

CRAZY CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients right in a 9 x 13 inch pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Frost with your favorite frosting.

PETIT POT AU CHOCOLAT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Bring a kettle full of water to a boil.
• Warm the cream with the vanilla bean and seeds to just before boiling, whisking to disperse the seeds. Remove from heat, cover and let infuse for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the chocolate in the milk. Beat together the egg yolks and confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Add the chocolate mixture and the vanilla cream and blend thoroughly. Pass through a fine mesh sieve and pour into 4 4-ounce ramekins or 6 3-ounce porcelain espresso cups.
• Place the ramekins in an 8-inch baking pan. Fill the pan with enough hot water to rise halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake in the oven until slightly puffed and spongy, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from the pan to cool. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Bring back to room temperature before serving.

POT-DE-CHOCOLAT (BY PEG BRACKEN)

Steps:

• Put all ingredients in the blender and turn the switch to high speed. Blend it till the racket stops. Pour into small containers and chill three hours before serving.

POT AU CHOCOLAT WITH FLEUR DE SEL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Bring the whipping cream and milk to a boil in a saucepan over low heat. The second it starts to boil, take it off the heat. Add the chocolate shavings and whisk until smooth. In another bowl, mix together the yolks, brown sugar, and cayenne. Slowly spoon the chocolate mixture into the yolks. Cook's Note: It is important to take your time with this step because the chocolate is hot, and if you dump it into the eggs in one shot you'll end up with chocolate scrambled eggs.
• Pour the mixture into little pots or espresso cups and cover with foil. Pierce some small holes in the foil so steam can escape and place the jars into a roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with water halfway up the sides of the jars so that they bake evenly. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool the pots on the counter for 35 minutes and then put them in the refrigerator for 3 hours to chill. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and serve.

PEG BRACKEN'S IRISH SODA BREAD ADAPTED

Steps:

• Make the sour milk by adding 1 1/2 tbs vinegar to 1 1/2 cups milk.
• Grease an 8x8 pan well.
• Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix in the oil until crumbly and meal-like.
• Mix in raisins and caraway seed.
• Add sour milk. Mix well. You will have a soft, biscuit-like dough rather than a batter.
• Bake at 350°F 35-45 minutes or until done.
• Note -- this can be dropped from a spoon and baked as biscuits instead if that better suits your needs. Increase the heat to 400°F and decrease the cooking time to 8-12 minutes according to how big you made them.