Pots au Chocolate de Creme…which basically just means “hand me that pot of chocolate over there.” This dessert will hit every person’s chocolate spot and it is also super easy to make. They will think you’ve been slaving away over this gourmet dessert, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.
As you know Dessert Nights around here are Mondays and Thursdays. We’ve recently had to reinforce dessert nights because Number Two got into the nasty habit of asking the same two questions every night: ‘Is it dessert night?’ and ‘Can I have a dessert tonight?’ Consequently we got a little slack and all the boys had been eating desserts several times a week. It’s kind of hard to implement the “it’s not dessert night” excuse when they’re looking at you like, “Give me a break, Mom.”
I realized that it’s more about control than anything else, and truthfully I wouldn’t want to be deprived of a fantastic dessert like this either. The key to this recipe is you put it together early on (even a day before if need be) and let the rest fall into place. That way you are not running around trying to fit all of your meal preparations together at once.
This is so chocolatey, rich and creamy. It’s a cross between a custard and a mousse. Are you drooling yet??
Pots au Chocolate de Creme
1 2/3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
8 oz. high quality semi-sweet chocolate*
6 large egg yolks
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tsp powdered sugar
1. Preheat oven to 250*. In a medium saucepan, combine the cream milk, sugar and vanilla. Whisk to blend and bring to a soft boil. Add the chocolate and whisk until it’s all melted. *If using a bar of chocolate make sure you use a high quality chocolate like Lendt, Ghirardelli or Valrhona. Coarsely chop before adding to the cream mixture. I couldn’t find any good bars in my store so I used Ghirardelli chips.
2. In large bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks. Then, in a slow, steady stream, add the chocolate-cream mixture, whisking until smooth. Make sure you add the hot mixture slowly so you don’t cook the eggs. Divide the mixture among 6 ramekins or small custard bowls (about 6 ounces each. I measured this using a 2/3 cup measuring cup. Perfect.) Place them into a large baking pan with high sides.
3. Make a water bath in the baking dish by adding cold water about half way up the sides of the ramekins. This will help regulate the heat while cooking. Cover tightly with foil and place into warm oven for about an hour.
*At 250 my oven seemed barely warm enough to cook even this. After an hour it was still pretty un-cooked. I then turned the oven up to 300* and gave the custard another 25 minutes or so. Make sure you keep an eye on this dessert and adjust the temp and cooking times according to your oven.
4. When done the custards should jiggle slightly in the center when shaken. The custards will thicken as they chill, so take out of the hot water and allow them to come to room temperature. Then refrigerate until cold. Serve cool.
5. When ready to serve, whip up the remaining 1/3 cup heavy cream with the powdered sugar and serve the mousse with a dollop of the cream on top.
The boys did like it very much, however, and if you like coconut, you will too. I’m not much of a custard person, but this was really good, and I could see lots of potential using this recipe as a base for a basic custard.
