Chocolate Pots de Crème - Seasonal Recipe

Chocolate Pots de Crème

🌍 Seasonal, Winter Difficulty: ●●●○○

Pots de crème are among the great French classics, appearing in Escoffier's Le Guide Culinaire (1903); they are a direct ancestor of modern chocolate mousse, but firmer and richer — pure custard in its most elegant form.

Ingredients

• 300ml (1¼ cups) double (heavy) cream
• 200ml (¾ cup) whole milk
• 170g (6 oz) dark chocolate (70% cacao), finely chopped
• 5 egg yolks
• 3 tbsp superfine sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of fleur de sel

Method

1. Preheating — Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F). Place 6 small ramekins (150ml/5 oz) in a deep baking dish.
2. Heating — Heat cream and milk in a saucepan over medium heat until just below a simmer. Remove from heat; add chocolate. Let sit 2 minutes; stir until completely smooth.
3. Whisking — Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl. Slowly pour warm chocolate cream into yolks, whisking constantly to prevent scrambling.
4. Straining — Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Divide among ramekins. Add a tiny pinch of fleur de sel on each.
5. Pouring — Pour enough boiling water into the baking dish to reach halfway up the ramekins (bain-marie/water bath).
6. Baking — Bake 30–35 minutes until just set with a slight jiggle in the centre.
7. Removing — Remove from water bath; cool to room temperature; refrigerate minimum 3 hours or overnight.
8. Serving — Serve with a dollop of softly whipped cream and a flake of sea salt.

Tags: double cream, whole milk, dark chocolate, egg yolks, superfine sugar · Source: Brittani's Almanac