Vanilla Custard Or Pots De Crème Food

VANILLA POT DE CREME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F Bring a kettle of water to a boil.
• Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the sticky seeds inside. Add the seeds and the shell to the cream. Heat until small bubbles form around the edge of the saucepan.
• Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks and sugar with an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed until pale and light, about 2 minutes.
• Add the vanilla extract to the hot cream. Remove and discard the shell of the vanilla bean. Whisking constantly, drizzle the hot cream into the egg yolks.
• Divide the custard among 4 ramekins. Place ramekins into a square baking dish. Pull out the rack of the oven and set the baking dish on it. Pour boiling water into baking dish until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Carefully slide the rack back into the oven and close the door; bake 30 minutes, until the center of each ramekin is barely set and wiggles slightly when shaken.
• Carefully move the baking dish to a rack and allow custards to cool to room temperature in the water bath. Cover each ramekin with plastic rap and refrigerate overnight. Serve cold with a dollop of barely-sweetened whipped cream.

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT POTS DE CREME

Steps:

• Spoon the chocolate-hazelnut spread into your blender. Add the chopped chocolate. Set your ramekins/cocottes/teacups/glasses on a baking sheet.
• In a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk, heavy cream, sugar, salt and egg yolks over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, 8 to 10 minutes; I like to use a flat-bottomed wooden spatula so that I can make sure the eggs aren't catching on the bottom and cooking. Cook until the custard thickens, resembling something like very thick paint. It should register between 175 and 180 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Another test: the custard should coat the back of the spatula, and when you draw a line across the back of the spatula with your (clean!) finger, the line should hold and maintain its edges without running. Remove from the heat immediately.
• Now, pour the warm custard through a strainer into the blender. Let it sit 5 minutes to melt the chocolate. Add the Sriracha, espresso powder if using and vanilla extract. Then, put the lid on the blender, hold down with a thick kitchen towel, and blend on low, then high, until smooth and combined, scraping down the sides if necessary. Taste for seasoning.
• Pour the custard into your containers, tapping them against the rim of the baking sheet to remove air bubbles. Pop them in the fridge and chill until the custards are set, 2 to 3 hours.
• Top with whipped cream or creme fraiche, some grated chocolate and minced hazelnuts. A little sea salt would be nice too.

VANILLA POTS DE CREME WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. To make the chocolate sauce, place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream. Coat the bottom of 6 6-ounce ramekins or pots de creme cups with the chocolate sauce and set aside.
• To make the custard, place the milk and cream in a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk and add the pod. Bring the milk to a boil over medium heat, cover, remove from the heat and let stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the yolks and sugar until thick and pale yellow. Stirring constantly, whisk the warm milk into the yolks. Add the salt and strain the mixture into a bowl. Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes and skim the foam from the top.
• Ladle the custard into the chocolate-lined molds and place them in a deep baking pan. Pour enough hot water in the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins, and cover the baking pan with aluminum foil. Bake until the pots de creme are just set (they will tremble slightly in the center when shaken) and a small knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes.
• Remove the molds from the water and let cool. Serve the pots de creme in the molds, warm or chilled.

CHOCOLATE POTS DE CRèME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Bring cream and milk just to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until melted and smooth. Whisk yolks and sugar in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in hot chocolate mixture. Strain mixture into another bowl. Cool 10 minutes, skimming any foam from surface.
• Divide custard mixture among six 3/4-cup custard cups or soufflé dishes. Cover each with foil. Place cups in large baking pan. Add enough hot water to pan to come halfway up sides of cups. Bake until custards are set but centers still move slightly when gently shaken, about 55 minutes. Remove from water. Remove foil. Chill custards until cold, about 3 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.)

VANILLA CUSTARD

Steps:

• Heat the milk in the saucepan until it comes just up to the boil, then take off the heat immediately. In a bowl, beat together the egg yolks, vanilla sugar and flours. Pour the milk slowly over the egg mix, beating well.
• Return the mixture to the pan and place over a low heat, stirring for 8-10 mins until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove and serve with the dumplings.

VANILLA CUSTARD OR POTS DE CRèME

Steps:

• Whisk until just mixed in a medium bowl: 4 egg yolks.
• Measure and pour into a medium bowl: 3/4 cup heavy cream.
• Combine in a small pot: 3/4 cup half-and-half, 1/4 cup sugar, One 2-inch piece of vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped into the pan with the bean.
• Warm just until steaming over medium heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar. When warm, whisk into the egg yolks. Strain this mixture into the cold cream and mix well. Remove the vanilla bean from the strainer and squeeze all the seeds and liquid from it back into the custard mix. The mixture can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour the mixture into a 2 1/2-cup custard mold, or into 4 custard cups. Place the mold or cups into a large, deep pan and pour in hot water until it reaches about halfway up the sides. Cover the top of the pan with foil and seal tightly. Bake until the sides of the custards are set but the center is still soft when jiggled, about 50 minutes for the large mold and 25 to 30 minutes for the smaller cups. Remove from the water bath and let cool. Serve warm or cool in the refrigerator.
• Top the cooled custards with a few tablespoons of raspberry purée.
• Stir 2 tablespoons dry Marsala, sherry, or a liqueur into the custard mixture.
• Melt 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate and 1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate over hot water. Stir the melted chocolate into the hot half-and-half. Stir in the cream and whisk in the egg yolks. Add 1/2 teaspoon brandy or Cognac, if desired.
• For crème brûlée, cool the custards and sprinkle 1 tablespoon white sugar evenly over the top of each custard. With a small handheld propane torch, pass the flame over the sugar to caramelize evenly. Heat until the sugar turns a dark amber brown. Alternatively, caramelize the sugar under a broiler but keep a sharp eye on the custards-they burn easily. Let cool to harden and serve.