It’s kind of crazy that Valentines Day is already this week. It feels like I just got back from winter break, but at the same time it feels like winter break was ages ago. I think this time of year always feels slow, but then I kind of mentally zoom out and see how little of the school year is actually left and that’s just crazy.
In other news, it’s supposed to snow tomorrow! It’s looking like there will be one day with lovely pretty snow, and I’ve seen from 3-10 inches so who could say. Its weird though because it doesn’t even seem that cold out, but I’m most certainly not complaining. We already have school canceled tomorrow and I’m guessing Wednesday too.
I just love snow days so much. I mean, I appreciate any day off. But snow days are so much better because they’re a surprise. And, they provide excellent conditions to sit in my room and watch the snow fall while bundled up with a book and a blanket. That’s the vision for this week and I really hope it happens.
But enough about the weather, let’s talk chocolate pot de creme. Aren’t these so pretty? I feel like these are the perfect Valentines day dessert because they’re very restaurant like. They look and taste like some fancy dessert you could order at a restaurant, but they’re actually so easy to throw together.
Sooooo, what I’m saying is if you have someone you want to impress but you don’t actually want to put too much effort in, than this is the recipe for you.
Describe this Dessert to Me:
Taste: This dessert has three flavors that all compliment each other perfectly. Firstly, the dark chocolate in the actual pot de creme is rich and creamy, but it’s intensity is balanced with the sweet vanilla creme fraîche and the jammy pomegranates.
Texture: The chocolate pot de creme is smooth and creamy, but still melts in your mouth, especially when mixed with the soft and delicate creme fraîche. The syrupy pomegranates add the perfect final touch.
Ease: As fancy as it looks, this recipe is still shockingly easy. The chocolate part is a quick and relatively simple custard made with a handful of kitchen staples. The pomegranate compote is also quick and simple, as is the cream topping. Nothing too technically difficult so the hardest part is simply waiting for these to set before eating.
The Chocolate Custard
This is a classic, minimal ingredient custard made with only a handful of kitchen staples. It’s made by tempering egg yolks with warm cream and milk, and stirring in chopped chocolate until it melts into a smooth and creamy custard. Add a little espresso powder and vanilla to tie together the chocolate with the other components. Let that chill until it thickens to a thick and creamy chocolate custard.
The Cream
This is actually the same cream I used in my Yule log. The creme fraîche adds another level of flavor to your traditional whipped cream, it’s a little tangy but more delicate than your classic cream cheese. It cuts through the rich chocolate and is light enough that it mixes with the syrup from the pomegranates.
The Pomegranates
When I was coming up with this recipe, I knew I wanted there to be pomegranates. My first instinct was a pomegranate compote, but then I thought of the seeds. If I had made this a technical compote, then it would have been somewhat unpleasant to eat because of the seeds. So instead, these are when step easier than a compote. All you do is cook some pomegranate arils in sugar with a little vanilla, water, and cornstarch. This keeps the crunch of the arils, but cooks them just enough that they make a sweet and tart syrup, which is delicious when drizzled on top of the bittersweet chocolate and sweet cream.
Chocolate Pot De Creme with Pomegranates and Vanilla Bean Cream
Ingredients
Chocolate Pot De Creme
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 5 large egg yolks
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- a pinch of salt
Pomegranates
- Arils of 1 large pomegranate (about 1 ½ cups)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon water
- a pinch of salt
Whipped Crème Fraîche
- 1 cup crème fraîche cold
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup heavy cream cold
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
Start by making the chocolate pot de creme
- Get out 6 ramekins and set them aside.
- In a large saucepan, bring the heavy cream and milk to a simmer over medium heat. In a medium sized heat safe bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Slowly stream 1 cup of the simmering cream/milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Then, stream the tempered egg yolks back into the remaining cream and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 1 minute until the mixture starts to thicken.
- Remove the custard from the heat and immediately add the chopped chocolate and stir until smooth and combined. Whisk in the espresso powder, vanilla, and salt. Divide the custard evenly among the ramekins. Cover with cling wrap and chill for two hours.
While the custard chills, make the pomegranates
- in a medium sized saucepan, mix together the pomegranate arils, sugar, vanilla extract, cornstarch, water, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Then turn the temperature down to medium low, and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool before transferring to a sealable glass container (I used a jar) and chilling until ready to serve.
When you are ready to serve, make the cream
- Place the crème fraîche, granulated sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla bean paste in a large mixing bowl. Using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the mixture on high speed to medium/stiff peaks.
- Top each ramekin with a generous dollop of the cream and a spoonful of the syrupy pomegranates. Serve immediately.