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Recipe Detail Page
Cinnamon Chocolate Pots De Crème
Holiday 2007
These custards are a dinner-party standby. Easy to make, they can be refrigerated for a day in advance. I don’t bother baking them in a bain marie, which means the egg yolks are not fully cooked; if you are concerned about consuming raw eggs, cook the custards for 15 minutes at 325°F (160°C) in a water bath. (The unbaked texture is smoother and creamier, almost like a pudding.) French families typically have special china pots designed for holding the custards, but I like to use Chinese tea cups or espresso cups for serving. Aromatic Ceylonese cinnamon adds its own distinctive perfume to the dish.
Yields 6 servings
1¼ cups (300 mL) table cream (18%)
4 cinnamon sticks
1 oz (30 g) unsweetened chocolate
5 oz (150 g) good-quality semisweet chocolate
4 large egg yolks
1. Warm cream and cinnamon sticks in a small saucepan over low heat until steaming. Remove from heat and let stand 30 to 60 minutes to infuse cream.
2. Fish out cinnamon sticks and return saucepan to low heat. Break up chocolate into small chunks and add to cream. Stir constantly. When chocolate has melted, raise heat slightly and continue to cook until mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. In a mixing bowl, lightly beat egg yolks. Pour in a small amount of chocolate mixture and whisk to incorporate. Add remaining chocolate cream. Strain mixture into a pitcher, then pour into six 2-oz (60-g) serving cups.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 8.
Yields 6 servings
