Make Ahead- Chocolate Espresso Pot De Crème!

Perfect sweet little finish to a large festive feast, just in time for the holiday! And make ahead the day before so you don’t need to worry about making dessert the day of your event. Also, great little treat just to have hanging around the fridge. If you can save them from getting gobbled up. 

You’ll Need:

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

6 large egg yolks

6 ounces good quality 60-70 % chocolate, finely chopped

6 ounces good quality 80% chocolate 80%, finely chopped, plus shavings for garnish

2 tablespoons sugar

1 – 4 inch cinnamon stick

Pinch salt

1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon good quality instant espresso powder

Unsweetened whipped cream, for serving

Here’s How:

In a medium saucepan, combine the whole milk with the heavy cream, cinnamon stick, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over moderately high heat. Reduce heat add the vanilla, espresso, and salt. Stir to combine. Set aside.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks until creamy, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in 1/2 – 1 cup of the hot milk, into egg yolks while whisking vigorously bringing the yolks close to the same temperature as the milk. This stage is called tempering. Once the cream is tempered into the egg yolks, transfer the tepid egg mixture to the saucepan with the remaining flavored cream. Begin cooking to form a thick custard.

Over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until it is slightly thickened, about 5-6 minutes. Immediately add the finely chopped chocolate and remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted, then strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a large glass measuring cup or bowl to help you pour into smaller serving vessels.

Pour the chocolate mixture into desired serving vessels and refrigerate until the pots de crème are chilled, for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Serve the pots de crème with unsweetened whipped cream and chocolate shavings and an optional dusting of cocoa. Or simply… a candied coffee bean. I like to pair chocolate with Raspberries or Oranges. Candies Orange peel would be nice if you put a splash of Grand Mariner in the pudding. If you need to know when, just send me a message. Shhhhh! 

Makes approximately 8-10 servings depending on the size of your serving vessel.

Note: If eggs begin to curdle in the tempering stage, cool the cream before any further additions, and immediately run the mixture through a sieve before proceeding to the next step.