Pots de crème is a silky, rich French custard with beautiful flavors and the most luxurious texture that makes dessert feel like a very special occasion…
This recipe only requires a few simple ingredients, but these ingredients are eventually transformed into something spectacular. The technique takes a little bit of time, but requires no special skills or equipment and once you finish your pots de crème, you will have a truly spectacular dessert to enjoy.
Let’s get started…
Begin by gathering 1 1/3 cups of heavy cream, 1/2 cup of whole milk, 5 ounces of chocolate, 5 large egg yolks, 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of espresso powder.
I use a mix of milk chocolate and dark chocolate, but any chocolate that you enjoy will work for this dessert.
In a large bowl, whisk 5 large egg yolks with 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar and set it aside for now.
Combine 1 1/3 cups of heavy cream with 1/2 cup of heavy cream in a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Once the mixture begins to steam and gently simmer, remove it from the heat and whisk in 5 ounces of chocolate and 1 teaspoon of espresso powder.
Place four 6 ounce ramekins into a deep baking dish and divide the mixture evenly between them.
Now cover each ramekin tightly with a small piece of tin foil. Trim away any excess so the foil doesn’t hang more than 1/2 inch over the edges of the ramekin.
We are baking the pots de crème in a water bath, which just means that you need to add enough hot water into the baking dish to come about half way up the sides of the ramekin. You can use boiling water or just very hot tap water, but in order to avoid splashing, I like to put the baking dish onto the rack of my oven and then carefully add the hot water once the baking dish is already in place.
Bake your pots de crème at 325 degrees for 50 minutes or until the center is lightly set. Carefully transfer the ramekins onto a heat proof surface and remove the foil. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before transferring them into the refrigerator to chill for several hours before serving.
Once they are thoroughly chilled, garnish with some whipped cream and chocolate shavings and get ready to enjoy one of my all time favorite chocolate desserts…
There is something so wonderfully luxurious about the texture of this chocolate pots de crème. It is smooth, silky, creamy, custardy and everything that a good French dessert should be. It proves that a dessert can be rich and light and boldly chocolate without being overly sweet.
Everything about this beautiful dessert is perfect to me and I am quite positive that as soon as you make it for yourself, that you will feel the same…
Chocolate Pots de Crème
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup of heavy cream
- 1/2 cup of whole milk
- 5 ounces of chocolate (milk, dark or semi-sweet), chopped
- 5 large egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon of espresso powder
- whipped cream (garnish)
- chocolate shavings (garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees
- Bring 1 1/3 cups of heavy cream and 1/2 cup of whole milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat
- As soon as it simmers, remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in 5 ounces of chocolate and 1 teaspoon of espresso powder
- In a large bowl, whisk 5 large egg yolks with 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
- Very gradually add the melted chocolate mixture into the egg yolks and sugar while whisking constantly
- Divide the ingredients equally between four 6 ounce ramekins
- Tightly cover each ramekin with a small piece of tin foil and place them into a deep baking dish
- Fill the cake pan with enough hot water to come half way up the sides of the ramekins
- Bake on a middle rack at 325 degrees for 50 minutes or until the centers are lightly set
- Carefully transfer the ramekins onto a heat proof surface, remove the tin foil and let the pots de crème sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before transferring them into the refrigerator
- Chill the pots de crème for 2 or more hours before serving
- Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings
