Chocolate Pots De Creme Cooks Illustrated Recipes

CHOCOLATE POTS DE CREME

Steps:

• Place the chocolate in a blender. Whisk the milk, 1 cup cream, egg yolks, granulated sugar and salt in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spatula and almost boiling, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Immediately pour the milk mixture over the chocolate in the blender. Cover and hold the lid with a thick kitchen towel; blend until combined and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed. Divide the chocolate mixture among ramekins or small cups and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
• Whip the remaining 1/2 cup cream and the confectioners' sugar with a mixer or in the blender until soft peaks form. Top the chilled pots de creme with whipped cream.

CHOCOLATE POTS DE CRèME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Bring cream and milk just to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until melted and smooth. Whisk yolks and sugar in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in hot chocolate mixture. Strain mixture into another bowl. Cool 10 minutes, skimming any foam from surface.
• Divide custard mixture among six 3/4-cup custard cups or soufflé dishes. Cover each with foil. Place cups in large baking pan. Add enough hot water to pan to come halfway up sides of cups. Bake until custards are set but centers still move slightly when gently shaken, about 55 minutes. Remove from water. Remove foil. Chill custards until cold, about 3 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.)

CHOCOLATE POTS DE CRèME (COOKING FOR 2)

Steps:

• Place chocolate chips, sugar, salt and vanilla in blender.
• In small microwavable bowl, microwave whipping cream uncovered on High, in 20-second increments, 1 to 2 minutes or until cream begins to boil. Pour hot cream into blender; cover and blend until smooth.
• Pour chocolate mixture into 2 small dessert bowls. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours until set and cold. Garnish with sweetened whipped cream and chocolate curls.

EXTRA-BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE POTS DE CRèME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a heavy saucepan, bring cream and milk to a boil. Remove from heat; whisk in chopped chocolate until smooth.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar and salt. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot chocolate into yolks. Strain through a very fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl.
• Divide mixture among 2- to 4-ounce espresso cups or small ramekins. Set filled cups in a large roasting pan that has been positioned on center rack of oven. Add hot tap water to pan, halfway up sides of cups. Cover pan with foil; use a fork to prick holes in foil.
• Bake until edges are lightly set (lifting foil to check) but center is still jiggly - it will set as it cools - 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer cups to a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving with crème fraîche or whipped cream.

CHOCOLATE POTS DE CREME

Steps:

• Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream and the salt until scalded, then pour over the chocolate to melt it. Whisk the yolks with 1/2 cup of the sugar. Temper the yolk mixture with the hot chocolate mixture then place on the stove over medium heat to thicken slightly, until it coats the back of a wooden spoon. Pour mixture into ramekins and bake in a water bath at 300 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes until mostly set but a little jiggly in the center. Chill covered.
• To serve, whip the cream with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon sugar and orange rind. Dollop onto the pots de creme.
• Alternate Garnish: If you have vanilla beans lying around the house that have already been used, here's a great way to recycle them. Cut split vanilla beans into 3-inch sections. Place on a sheet pan in a preheated 300-degree oven and bake until dried. Keep in an airtight container. To garnish the pots de creme, lay the dried vanilla beans across the whipped cream.