[title subtitle=”words, recipe, and image: Mary Cervantes, owner of Mary’s Little Sweets”][/title]
For Valentine’s Day, my mind immediately goes to chocolate. One of my favorite desserts is Chocolate Pot de Creme. Silky and rich, it will impress your Valentine and is easier to make than you might think! Plus, it’s a great way to use extra egg yolks, which I always have on hand since I make a lot of macarons for Mary’s Little Sweets, and they only require egg whites! P.S. I might be known for my baking, but the irony is that this dessert requires none!
Ingredients
1½ cups heavy cream
¾ cup half-and-half
5 egg yolks
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
(I like to use Ghirardelli® 60%)
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Method
1. In a saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, salt, heavy cream and half-and-half. Over medium-low heat, stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of the spoon (8-12 minutes). Do not let the mixture simmer.
2. Pour the thickened mixture through a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl. Add in chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes, then whisk in vanilla until smooth.
3. Divide the custard into eight 4-5-ounce ramekins. Allow the Pots de Creme to cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days. Serve topped with whipped cream.
