Chocolate Pots de Creme
A chocolate lover's delight. This is a very rich and delicious dessert. It is so easy to make. Everyone loves it!
A chocolate lover's delight. This is a very rich and delicious dessert. It is so easy to make. Everyone loves it!
- Carbohydrate 47.1524276675 g
- Cholesterol 137.75302525 mg
- Fat 40.554722125 g
- Fiber 6.44 g
- Protein 8.5002349125 g
- Saturated Fat 23.0873909215 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (145g)
- Sodium 51.505231 mg
- Sugar 40.7124276675 g
- Trans Fat 3.5108701085 g
- Calories 598 calories
Step-by-step
- In a small, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, heat light cream just to boiling point; remove from heat.
- In a food processor or blender, add chocolate chips; process to make smaller pieces of chocolate. Add coffee, coffee liqueur or brandy, eggs, and hot cream; cover and blend at high speed for about 3 minutes until well blended.
- Pour into six demitasse cups or small custard cups (I like to use fancy tea cups). Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. After pudding has cooled, cover containers with plastic wrap.
- To serve, top with whipped cream; garnish with chocolate shavings and nuts.
- Makes 6 small servings or 4 tea cup servings.
Relying exclusively on the friction and heat of a blender rather than traditional stove-top custard techniques, this dessert streamlines classic French pastry methods into a remarkably swift preparation. Processing bittersweet chocolate chips into fine granules before introducing hot liquids ensures that the cocoa solids dissolve completely without seizing, a common pitfall when mixing melted chocolate with cold eggs. Strong brewed coffee acts as a flavor catalyst, heightening the perception of cocoa without imparting a distinct mocha taste.
Assessing doneness in a blender-mixed custard relies entirely on visual and textural inspection rather than probing with a thermometer. Blending the mixture at high speed for precisely three minutes incorporates micro-bubbles that transform into a velvety, aerated crumb structure once chilled. The liquid must appear completely uniform, glossy, and smooth before pouring into individual vessels, indicating that the egg proteins have begun to emulsify the fats in the heavy cream and chocolate.
Managing workflow in the kitchen requires factoring in the necessary resting period before serving. While the blending process takes only minutes, the emulsion demands at least four hours of uninterrupted refrigeration for the cocoa butter and milk fats to solidify properly. Covering the cups only after the initial chill prevents condensation from dripping onto the custard surface, preserving the delicate garnish-ready top layer.
Historical French pots de crème derived their name from the small porcelain or earthenware pots in which they were traditionally baked and served. Modern adaptations utilize standard demitasse cups or heat-safe tea vessels, which physically restrict portion sizes to match the density of the food. Garnishing with freshly shaved chocolate and chopped nuts introduces a necessary textural contrast to the otherwise uniform creaminess of the chilled dessert.
