Chocolate Pots de Crème Recipe
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 705kcal
Chocolate pots de crème are deeply chocolatey custards that taste like heaven. They are easy to make at home using just 4 ingredients.
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Equipment
- roasting pan or sheet pan
Ingredients
- 3⅓ cups heavy cream
- 7 ounces dark chocolate 70% cacao or above recommended
- 1 egg
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Place the chocolate in a large mixing bowl and pour cream over the top. Place the bowl of chocolate and cream on top of a pan of simmering (not boiling) water, making sure the bottom of the bowl isn't touching the water. Whisk frequently until chocolate is completely melted. Set aside to cool briefly.
- Combine the egg, egg yolks, and sugar in a small bowl and whisk until completely incorporated. (I always remove that little bit of white membrane that clings to the yolks before I whisk everything together to ensure a smooth texture.)
- Transfer a little bit of the melted chocolate mixture into the eggs and whisk vigorously together. Then add the egg mixture back into the larger bowl of chocolate and whisk until thoroughly combined. (You are tempering the eggs so that they don't scramble in the warm liquid.)
- Use a ladle or a large liquid measuring cup and divide the pots de creme mixture between 6 ramekins. (You can strain through a fine mesh sieve before pouring into ramekins if you want, but I don't. See tip below.)
- Place the ramekins on a sheet pan or in a roasting pan. Fill the pan with warm water so it goes about ½ inch up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan tightly with foil. Place the covered chocolate pots de crème in the oven, bake for 1 hour.
- Carefully remove from the oven (Remember there is hot water in there.) And allow to cool completely while still covered with foil, about 2 hours. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour or up to overnight before serving.
Notes
- If you're unsure of the size of your ramekins, pour 6 ounces of water into one of them to be sure it will hold the right amount of liquid.
- If you're using a sheet pan for your water bath, remember to be VERY careful when removing the chocolate pots de crème from the oven. The water is HOT and could easily slosh over the low sides of your sheet pan. This is why I prefer to use a roasting pan instead.
- After they have chilled and set, I like to let the pots de crème sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften up just a bit before serving. The custard is rich and thick, this will allow your spoon to move through it more easily. Think: letting your ice cream soften so it's not frozen solid.
- You can strain the chocolate pots de crème mixture through a fine sieve before you fill the ramekins if you like. But since we're not cooking a custard first (which could create lumps) and since there is so little sugar in this recipe (which could fail to dissolve), I haven't found it necessary. I don't strain this and it's been smooth every time. Just make sure your chocolate is completely melted and you should be fine.
- Recipe adapted from Chocolate Epiphany by François Payard.
Nutrition
Calories: 705kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 65g | Saturated Fat: 39g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 260mg | Sodium: 84mg | Potassium: 403mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 2115IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 5mg