Chef Stuarts Traditional Pot De Creme Food

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:

• 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.

MOCHA POT DE CREME

Steps:

• Pour the heavy cream, vanilla and coffee beans into a saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Bring the cream to a brief simmer; do not boil or it will overflow within seconds. Remove from heat and strain to remove the beans.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is lemon-colored, about 3 minutes. Temper the yolks by gradually whisking the hot cream into the yolk and sugar mixture (do not add the hot cream too quickly or the eggs will cook.) Stir in the brewed coffee and melted chocolate.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Pour the egg-cream mixture into 6 (8-ounce) ramekins or cappuccino cups, filling 3/4 of the way full with mixture. Fill a large, shallow baking pan with 1/2-inch of warm water. Carefully place the ramekins in the water bath and bake for about 35 minutes, the center should jiggle slightly. Remove the pan from the oven and let the ramekins cool in the water for 10 minutes. Then pop them in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.

POTS DE CREME

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Bring the heavy cream, espresso powder and 1 tablespoon sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Pull away from the heat and set aside.
• Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler at a low simmer. Stir the chocolate until melted. Pull the bowl off the heat and set aside.
• Whisk the egg yolks, vanilla extract, salt and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl until light in color and thickened. Add about 1 cup of the hot cream mixture to the eggs to temper. Add the remaining cream and melted chocolate and stir until fully combined.
• Pour the chocolate mixture into 4 small heatproof bowls. Place the bowls in a roasting pan and fill it with hot water until it comes halfway up the sides of the bowls. Cover with foil and bake until the custard is set, 18 to 22 minutes. Carefully remove the bowls from the roasting pan to a small sheet tray and refrigerate until cooled and fully set, 1 to 2 hours. Top with dollops of mascarpone and serve.

POT DE CREME

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the egg, sugar and salt. Whisk in cream. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture reaches 160 and coats the back of a metal spoon.
• Remove from the heat; whisk in chocolate chips and vanilla until smooth. Pour into small dessert dishes. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Garnish with whipped cream if desired.