Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Chocolate Pots de Crème for all of my Valentines~


A rich and chocolatey dessert for all my dear friends, cyber and tangible, and for my wonderful family. They are wonderful finale to any holiday or special dinner.

I've had pots de crème that have been like eating chocolate truffles, dense and heavy, but these are more like a custard. Delicious!


A mouthful of love from me to you...



Chocolate Pots de Crème
from Baking, from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

"While you can serve pots de crème at room temperature, I prefer these chilled. I usually serves them with a little lightly sweetened whipped cream or a dollop of crème fraîche." Quote by Dorie Greenspan

Makes 8 servings (my little lion cups are only 1/3 cup so I got 11 full servings)

4 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate, finely chopped*
1 1/2 cups whipping cream, divided
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 large egg
5 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt

Place rack in center of oven, and preheat to 300F. Line a roasting pan with 2 layers of paper towels. Place 8 (4-ounce) custard cups, ramekins, espresso, or pot de crème cups in pan.

Place the chopped chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl. Bring 1/2 cup cream to a boil and immediately pour over chocolate, and let sit 1 minute. Use a rubber spatula to gently swirl in circular motions until ganache is smooth. Set aside.

Combine the remaining 1 cup of cream and the milk in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, a large bowl, whisk egg, yolks, sugar and salt until pale and slightly thickened. Whisk in a small amount of the hot milk in order to temper the eggs. Slowly whisk in remaining hot milk. Then, slowly whisk egg mixture into the ganache, stirring gently to combine.

Skim foam from surface and gentely pour custard into cups. Fill pan with hot water to come halfway up the sides of cups. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, poke 2 holes in opposite corners and slide pan into the oven.**

Bake at 300° for 35 to 40 minutes, or until tops darken and the centers barely jiggle. Remove from the oven and allow the custards to rest for 10 minutes on a rack. Peel away the plastic wrap, remove cups from water bath, and let them cool to room temperature. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill overnight or up to 1 day.

*My notes: I used Valhrona 85% dark bittersweet. The second time I made them I used 5 ounces of chocolate for a more intense chocolate flavor.

**I was very worried when I read plastic wrap, but since they bake at such a low temperature, there was no problem at all. Just don't forget to poke the holes. I actually reduced the oven temperature to 290F and cooked them for the full 40 minutes.

22 comments:

  1. oh.....I like those little pots!

    Not sure if you remember me, I posted for a time on GB.

    Michelle

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  2. Those look so good, Susan...
    I could dive into 2 of those!

    I will try them..
    I found out about the saran by mistake. I always put iton before the tin foil when I am bringing things to the kids..
    I forgot to remove it from the pan of stuffed shells, and remembered 20 min into the baking..
    I was relieved to see it all in tact, and not melted on to the food!
    And your little RED pots are so cute..I only have white...not starting anymore collections though!

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  3. The perfect Valentine so beautifully showcased in those beautiful red lion pots and the strawberry is the perfect heart

    Your photography is amazing!

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  4. I think I will christen my little red pots with this dessert..1/3 cup will probably be all I need! Love the look of both the red and white, especially for Valentines Day.

    Beau photos and I agree with Marsha, the strawberry looks like a heart!

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  5. Gorgeous post, Susan.

    I really like the idea of a custard texture rather than more "truffly".

    Isn't it sweet how much a strawberry slice resembles a heart? .... I don't think I paid much attention to that until seeing them on the blogs recently.

    I have that D. Greenspan cookbook.... I really should use it instead of just ogling over the pictures.

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  6. I love your little pots! So pretty!

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  7. Lovely post..lovely photos.. Happy V day to you too.

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  8. That's just about the best looking Valentine's dessert ever. Your little pots are perfect. I love your red background. It sets off your amazing photos perfectly.

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  9. These look wonderful! You take such lovely photos. Thanks for sharing!

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  10. Thud! Oh, Susan, those are over the top cute! Yes, the texture sounds good. thanks for your input on the plastic wrap... that also worried me. Pretty, pretty pics, Susan.

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  11. Thanks you Susan for the beautiful Valentine! Strawberries and chocolate sound divine. I bought some huge strawberries yesterday. They are crying out for chocolate lol. I wish you a very happy Valentines day!

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  12. Susan, thank you, thank you for the beautiful Valentine dessert!

    You are a "dear" :-)

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  13. awww I can feel the love already! Great dessert and lovely presentation!

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  14. What a silky, beautiful and delicious dessert.

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  15. Susan, between the rich, red background and the equally rich chocolate pots de creme, I'm beginning to salivate like a Saint Bernard.

    I have Dorie's book and, after a year, have yet to peruse through it. But, so far, there's been two winning recipes posted by my fellow bloggers this week.

    Thanks for this one, and may Cupid make your Valentine's Day as yummy as this chocolate entry.

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  16. I love this decadent dessert and your adorable little red pots. So sweet and perfect for Valentine's Day.

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  17. Thank you all for your kind and generous comments!

    Happy Valentines Day!

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  18. Always love your reds! and with chocolate pots, so perfect!

    Happy Valentine's, Susan :)

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  19. Can I just say, I love your dishes. Everything I've seen served here is such a feast for the eyes and lovely in every way.

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  20. Love chocolate pot de creme and must try your recipe. But what I like most are the little red and white bowls -- so PERFECT for Valentine's (and Christmas!) I'm trying to be good and not get too many "special" things but the chocolate in the red bowls . . . I may have to give in!

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  21. I did give in -- ordered 12 for me and 12 for a friend -- and they were on a DEEP SALE -- $2.99 for 4!!!!

    Next Valentine's, I, too, shall do pots de creme!

    Martha

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  22. Thank you Carol, Sandi and Martha!

    Wow! That's a great buy, Martha!

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