When you want a sublime, velvety smooth, rich chocolate dessert, Chocolate Pots de Crème are always a great option. Made with only seven ingredients, these Pots de Crème will be adored by any chocolate lover.
What are Pots de Crème you might ask. Well, as you might guess from the name, they are of French origin. The French term “Pots de Crème” translates into “pot of custard” or “pot of cream” in English. A Pot de Crème is a rich chocolate custard baked in a bain marie (hot water bath). The velvet-like consistency will be thicker than a mousse or a typical chocolate pudding but not as dense as ganache. Served chilled, they are typically topped with a dollop of whipped cream and often garnished with chocolate shavings or grated chocolate. Because they are so rich, only small portions are needed which is why they are often served in small specialty pot de crème cups or ramekins.
For this decadent dessert, use 70% dark chocolate, the best you can find and afford. Choose one you would eat as a candy bar. Baking chocolate or chocolate chips are not recommended for Pots de Crème. Some of the brands of chocolate I use are Lindt, Godiva, Ghirardelli, and Laura Secord though there are other good ones, too. Some brands may sell 72% dark chocolate which is fine for this recipe.
Over the years, I have made pots de crème using various methods. What follows is the method I find works best for me.
A mix of whipping cream (35%-36% M.F.) and whole milk is used in this recipe. Fat-reduced dairy products are not recommended. I found that using only whipping cream produced a very dense textured custard while using a blend of whipping cream and whole milk generated a better textured custard with a slightly more loose consistency.
I recommend that caster sugar be used instead of granulated sugar in this recipe. Caster sugar is a superfine sugar, much finer than granulated sugar, and it may be sold under other names including berry sugar or instant dissolving sugar. Using a superfine sugar will help to keep the consistency of the custard velvet-like with no gritty texture.
You will note there is no thickening agent per se in this recipe – no flour or cornstarch. The egg yolks perform the thickening function along with the slow bain marie baking method. The egg whites are not used in this recipe so can be saved and used for another purpose or discarded.
After whisking the heated whipping cream and milk into the egg yolks and sugar, the mixture is returned to the stove and heated on a very low heat on the stove for about 5 minutes to start the thickening process.
If you are not familiar with bain marie, it is really just a fancy name for baking something in a hot water bath. This baking process is often used for delicate dishes like custards because it allows the product to cook or bake slowly in a very gentle, moist heat. As well, the hot water bath provides even baking distribution and ensures the product does not bake too quickly which, especially for recipes with high egg content, like pots de crème, can cause the egg proteins to set too quickly, causing curdling.
To prepare a bain marie, I recommend using a suitably sized roaster pan lined on the bottom with a dishcloth to cushion the pots de crème dishes and keep them from moving around in the hot water bath. The filled pots de crème dishes are placed inside the larger roasting pan that is then filled with enough hot water to come half-way up, or a little better, on the side of the dishes. The water level should not be so high as to have the dishes floating in the water.
The bain marie acts as an incubator and insulator of sorts for the custard, protecting its delicate contents from the dry heat of a 300°F oven. The moisture that comes from the hot water steam helps to prevent the tops of puddings and custards from drying out and cracking before they are actually adequately baked. I do not cover the pots de crème as I find, even if holes are poked in a tin foil cover to allow steam to escape, moisture droplets form from the steam and drop onto the tops of the pots de crème, ruining them.
Tips for baking with bain marie
Follow these simple tips for successfully baking delicate puddings and custards using the bain marie process:
1. Choose an oven-safe baking dish or roaster that is sufficiently large enough to accommodate the number of pot de crème dishes and still leave at least 1” of space all around each dish. A high-sided pan is recommended as the hot water will need to be at about the half-way level, or slightly more, on the pudding dishes. That said, the dishes should not be floating in the water.
2. Place the oven rack in the center of oven and place the baking dish or roaster containing the pot de crème dishes in the center of the rack. Fill the baking dish or roaster with sufficient hot water to come up about half-way or a little better on the sides of the pot de crème dishes. It is safer to do it this way than to fill the baking pan or roaster with the hot water and transport it to the oven. Be careful not to get any water in the custards.
3. Periodically check the level of water during the baking stage. Add more hot water, if needed, to keep it at the half-way level on the dishes throughout the baking process.
4. When the pots de crème are baked, very carefully remove the roaster from the oven, being careful not to slosh water into the custards or burn yourself. Leave the pots de crème in the bain marie for 10 minutes before removing and transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. I find silicone oven mitts are great for this procedure because they are retardant to hot temperatures and, unlike fabric oven mitts or potholders, they don’t get wet through if they touch the water in the bain marie.
This recipe will yield 2-3 servings, depending on the size of dishes used. The recipe is very scalable meaning, if more servings are needed, it is easily doubled, tripled, or multiplied into however many servings are needed.
Pots de crème will keep, covered with plastic wrap, for up to three days in the refrigerator. I recommend adding the whipping cream topping just at time of serving.
[Printable recipe follows at end of post]
Chocolate Pots de Crème
Ingredients:
½ cup whipping cream (35%-36% M.F.)
½ cup whole milk
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
2 tbsp caster sugar (aka berry sugar, superfine sugar, or instant dissolving sugar)
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
2½ oz – 70% dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ cup whipping cream (for topping)
½ tbsp icing sugar (aka powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar)
1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract
Shaved or grated chocolate (for garnish)
Method:
With oven rack positioned in center of oven, preheat oven to 300°F. Prepare small roasting pan by placing a dishcloth in the bottom to cushion the ramekins/pot de crème cups and to keep them from moving around in the bain marie.
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and salt together in small heat-proof bowl. Set aside.
Heat cream and milk in small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until hot and steaming and just until bubbles start to appear around the edge of the saucepan. Stir occasionally. Do not boil mixture. Remove from heat.
Whisk 2-4 tablespoons of the hot cream/milk mixture, a tablespoon at a time, into the egg and sugar mixture to temper the eggs so they do not curdle. Gradually whisk in the remaining hot cream/milk mixture until well combined. Transfer mixture back into saucepan and place over low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently with a whisk to prevent a scum from forming on top of mixture.
Remove pan from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let chocolate melt into the mixture for 1 minute or so then whisk mixture until all chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla.
Strain mixture through a fine wire mesh sieve into a 2-cup measuring cup with pouring spout. Discard any solids remaining in sieve. Divide mixture equally into two heatproof ramekins each having a 5½ – 6 oz capacity or three 4½ – 5 oz ramekins or pots de crème cups.
Transfer filled ramekins or cups to prepared roasting pan. Set pan on oven rack and carefully pour hot water into pan around ramekins/cups, filling pan until water comes halfway up, or a little more, on the sides of the filled containers. Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until edges of pots de crème are just set and the centers a wee bit jiggly or wobbly when lightly shaken.
Carefully transfer roaster containing the pots de crème from the oven and let the pots de crème rest in the hot water for 10 minutes before removing them from the bain marie and transferring them to a wire cooling rack. Let cool completely to room temperature then cover each dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
To serve: Prepare whipped cream by whipping ¼ cup whipping cream in small bowl with hand mixer or electric whisk at high speed until semi-firm peaks form. Gradually add the ½ tbsp icing sugar while whipping the cream. Lastly, add the vanilla extract. Dollop or pipe whipped cream on top of each pot de crème and garnish with shaved or grated chocolate, if desired. Serve chilled.
These pots de crème, covered with plastic wrap, will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Yield: 2 – 3 servings
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Chocolate Pots de Crème
Ingredients
- ½ cup whipping cream (35%-36% M.F.)
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 2 tbsp caster sugar (aka berry sugar, superfine sugar, or instant dissolving sugar)
- 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
- 2½ oz - 70% dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup whipping cream (for topping)
- ½ tbsp icing sugar (aka powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar)
- 1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Shaved or grated chocolate (for garnish)
Instructions
-
With oven rack positioned in center of oven, preheat oven to 300°F. Prepare small roasting pan by placing a dishcloth in the bottom to cushion the ramekins/pot de crème cups and to keep them from moving around in the bain marie.
-
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and salt together in small heat-proof bowl. Set aside.
-
Heat cream and milk in small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until hot and steaming and just until bubbles start to appear around the edge of the saucepan. Stir occasionally. Do not boil mixture. Remove from heat.
-
Whisk 2-4 tablespoons of the hot cream/milk mixture, a tablespoon at a time, into the egg and sugar mixture to temper the eggs so they do not curdle. Gradually whisk in the remaining hot cream/milk mixture until well combined. Transfer mixture back into saucepan and place over low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently with a whisk to prevent a scum from forming on top of mixture.
-
Remove pan from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let chocolate melt into the mixture for 1 minute or so then whisk mixture until all chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla.
-
Strain mixture through a fine wire mesh sieve into a 2-cup measuring cup with pouring spout. Discard any solids remaining in sieve. Divide mixture equally into two heatproof ramekins each having a 5½ - 6 oz capacity or three 4½ - 5 oz ramekins or pots de crème cups.
-
Transfer filled ramekins or cups to prepared roasting pan. Set pan on oven rack and carefully pour hot water into pan around ramekins/cups, filling pan until water comes halfway up, or a little more, on the sides of the filled containers. Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until edges of pots de crème are just set and the centers a wee bit jiggly or wobbly when lightly shaken.
-
Carefully transfer roaster containing the pots de crème from the oven and let the pots de crème rest in the hot water for 10 minutes before removing them from the bain marie and transferring them to a wire cooling rack. Let cool completely to room temperature then cover each dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
-
To serve: Prepare whipped cream by whipping ¼ cup whipping cream in small bowl with hand mixer or electric whisk at high speed until semi-firm peaks form. Gradually add the ½ tbsp icing sugar while whipping the cream. Lastly, add the vanilla extract. Dollop or pipe whipped cream on top of each pot de crème and garnish with shaved or grated chocolate, if desired. Serve chilled.
-
These pots de crème, covered with plastic wrap, will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
Yield: 2 - 3 servings
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