Chai Chocolate Pots De Creme Food

CHOCOLATE POTS DE CREME

Steps:

• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Put the chocolate into a medium bowl. Combine the cream and milk in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let sit for 30 seconds or so to allow the chocolate to melt, then stir together until smooth.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla paste. Slowly stream the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, whisking constantly. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl or pitcher, then pour into six 4-ounce ramekins or ceramic cups or bowls.
• Arrange the ramekins in a baking dish or pan and carefully add enough hot water to come about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Carefully place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and let the pots de creme sit in the hot water for 5 minutes. If they still appear very jiggly in the middle, let them sit for another 5 minutes in the hot water. You want the custards to be very firm around the edges and to barely move toward the center when gently shaken.
• Remove the ramekins from the hot water and let cool in a cool area of the kitchen before serving, or chill to serve cold.

CHAI POTS DE CRèME

Steps:

• For custard:
• Combine first 7 ingredients in medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Remove from heat; cover and let steep 15 minutes to develop flavor.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Place six 3/4-cup custard cups or ramekins in 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Pour cream mixture through fine strainer into medium bowl. Discard solids in strainer.
• Whisk egg yolks, brown sugar, and orange peel in 4-cup measuring cup to blend well. Gradually whisk in cream mixture. Pour custard into custard cups, dividing equally (cups will not be full). Pour enough hot water into baking pan to come halfway up sides of custard cups. Cover baking pan with foil. Pierce foil in several places with skewer to allow steam to escape.
• Bake custards until softly set (centers will move slightly when cups are shaken gently), about 30 minutes. Remove custards from water. Cool on rack. Chill until cold, about 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; keep chilled.)
• For topping:
• Beat whipping cream and sugar in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Place dollop of whipped cream atop each pot de crème and serve.

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 CREME

Steps:

• In a small nonmetal bowl stir together light cream, chopped chocolate, sugar and salt.
• Micro-cook, uncovered, on 100% power about 1 minute or till chocolate is melted, stirring after 30 seconds.
• Stir about HALF of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolk.
• Return all to the bowl, mixing well.
• Micro-cook, uncovered, on 50% power for 1 to 2 minutes or till thickened, stirring every 15 seconds.
• Stir in vanilla.
• Pour into pot de creme cup or 6 ounce custard cup.
• Cover and chill for several hours or till firm.
• Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.
• NOTE:
• SELECTING THE RIGHT CHOCOLATE: You'll find three basic types of chocolate in the baking supplies department of most supermarkets-- semisweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, and sweet chocolate.
• The semisweet chocolate is made from chocolate that is just slight sweetened with sugar.
• Unsweetened chocolate is the original baking or cooking chocolate and has no added flavorings or sugar.
• And sweet chocolate, such as the German cooking chocolate used in the Chocolate Pots de Creme recipe, is chocolate mixed with sugar and sometimes additional cocoa butter or flavorings.