Chocolate Pots de Crème
A small batch of baked chocolate custard set with a single egg yolk, no starch and no gelatin, with espresso powder in the cream to deepen the chocolate. Twenty minutes of work, then four hours in the fridge.
Ingredients
For the Custard
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate 70 percent, finely chopped, about 1/4 cup
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 pinch coarse salt
For the Whipped Cream
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream reserved from above
- 1 pinch granulated sugar optional, to taste
Equipment
- Medium Bowl
- Fine Sieve
- 2 Teacups or Small Ramekins
- Baking Dish
- Foil
- Wire rack
Instructions
Melt and Temper
- First, heat the oven to 325 degrees F and put a kettle on. Bring the 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cream, the espresso powder and the vanilla just to a simmer in a small pot.
- Next, pour the hot cream over the finely chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Leave it undisturbed for 3 minutes, then whisk until completely smooth.
- Then whisk the egg yolk, sugar and a pinch of coarse salt together in a second bowl. Add the warm chocolate mixture in a slow, thin stream, whisking constantly, so the yolk warms gradually rather than setting on contact.
- After that, strain the custard through a fine sieve into a 2-cup measuring jug and let it cool completely, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
Bake in a Water Bath
- Stand 2 teacups or 4-ounce ramekins in the center of a baking dish and divide the custard between them. Pour boiling water into the dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cups.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and poke several holes in it. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the custard is set around the edges and still wobbles as one soft mass in the center.
Chill and Serve
- Lift the cups out of the water bath and cool them on a wire rack for 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, and up to 2 days.
- Finally, whisk the reserved 2 tablespoons of cream to soft peaks with a pinch of sugar if you want it, and dollop it over each cup as they go to the table. Let them stand 10 minutes out of the fridge first.
Notes
Total time includes 1 hour cooling and at least 4 hours chilling. Real work is about 20 minutes.
Tempering: pour the hot chocolate cream onto the yolk in a thin stream while whisking constantly, then strain the custard through a fine sieve. Both steps together are what keep the texture glassy rather than grainy.
Doneness: the outer half inch should be set and matte and the center should move as one soft mass. It keeps setting after it leaves the water.
Scaling: one egg yolk and 1 1/2 ounces of chocolate per serving. Baking time does not change, since it depends on the depth of the custard rather than the number of cups.
Make ahead: better on day two than on day one. Whip the cream on the day, to soft peaks only.
Storage: covered in the fridge up to 2 days at their best, 3 at a push. Do not freeze, since the emulsion breaks on thawing.
Chocolate: a bar rather than chips, which contain stabilizers that resist melting cleanly.
Nutrition values are an estimate.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 455kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Cholesterol: 200mg | Sodium: 60mg | Potassium: 180mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 762IU | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2.5mg