Last night I made a rocking, much needed dessert. Let me repeat: Much needed. It was one of those days when really, all that was going to make my evening beareable was chocolate. I tried a new recipe, Chocolate Pots de Creme. It sounds complicated and fancy, but it was very manageable. I am not much of a chef (yet), but I followed the directions to a T and was very impressed by the results. So put the kids to bed and splurge on a lovely treat. Every mom needs a momentary escape from an insane day.
Chop the Chocolate
Hold a large knife at a 45 degree angle and chop the bar of chocolate, beginning at the corner. Chop course. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
Mix Eggs
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and salt together in a bowl until smooth.
Heat Cream and Milk
Bring the cream and milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat. Slowly whisk about 1 cup of the cream mixture into the yolks. Slowly whisk the yolks back into the cream mixture.
Thicken the Custard
Return the pan to low heat and cook, whisking until it thickens and hits 175 to 180 degrees.
Strain
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into the bowl with the chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes. Whisk the mixture until thoroughly combined, then stir in 1 tsp. vanilla.
Divide and Refrigerate
Divide evenly among 6 ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours.
Eat and Enjoy
For some extra decadence, garnish with some whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Now, hide in a closet for 5 minutes, eat your chocolate and truly enjoy some alone time. I used my trusty Nintendo DS XL with the America’s Test Kitchen: Let’s Get Cooking game to help me make the recipe. Thanks to Nintendo for sending us the player and game to try. I didn’t let me burn a thing!
Ingredients
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- 7 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 11/2 heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
