(As read and prepared by Alex Tuller for the January 5, 2006 podcast)
I like making chocolate pots de creme because they are fast and easy and a huge hit post-dinner. I’ve tried both the kind that require cooking and the kind that do not require cooking. I like the ones you cook, let cool, then consume. This particular recipe is from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook. I had the opportunity to meet Judy Rogers at a mutual friend’s 40th birthday party hosted in Italy and I’ve been pleased with how the recipes are structured. She cares about texture as well as flavor in her foods.
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 c heavy cream
3/4 c whole milk
2 T sugar
4 egg yolks
Turn on oven to 300º.
Melt the chocolate with 1/2 cup of the cream in a small pan or double boiler. Stir occasionally and remove from heat once melted.
Warm the remaining 1/4 cup of cream & milk with sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Whisk the egg yolk, then slowly stir in the warm milk mixture. Pour the mixture through a strainer into the melted chocolate and stir to combine.
Pour the mixture into 4- to 5-ounce ramekins and place at least 1†apart in a baking pan. Add hot water to come barely up 1/2†beneath lip of the cups. Bake until custard is just set at the edges, but still soft in the center. Approximately 45 minutes. Do not over cook!! The eggs keep cooking when they are pulled from the oven so if it seems wiggly then it is perfect.
Cool, cover and if you’re not eating that day refrigerate.
Top each ramekin with dollops of whipped cream and I shaved white chocolate onto the top for fun.