This rich layered chocolate and caramel custard cup dessert is easier to make than they look. Just make sure to use a light or silver colored pan to make the caramel if you are unfamiliar with making caramel. I have more tips and tricks on making caramel in the section above. I also recommend using flaky finishing salt like Maldon for a finishing touch. If you don’t have that, you can use kosher salt or sea salt works fine as well. If all you have is iodized table salt, just skip the salt, as iodized salt has slight metallic flavor that will clash with the flavor of this pots de crème.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, European, French
Keyword caramel, chocolate, custard, pots de creme
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 35 minutesminutes
Chill time 4 hourshours
Servings 6
Calories 429kcal
Author Irvin
Ingredients
Custard
1 1/2cupsheavy cream370 g
1/2cupwhole milk113 g
1 1/4cupswhite sugar250 g
6large egg yolks105 g
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1/4teaspoonkosher salt
4ozdark chocolatechopped
To finish
Maldon sea saltor another flaky sea salt (optional, but recommended)
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 325°F. Boil some water on the stove or in a kettle, then cover and set aside.Combine the cream and milk in a small saucepan and heat until bubbles form on the side of the pan, but don’t let it come to a boil. Cover and remove pan from heat.
Place sugar in a large pan, skillet or Dutch oven. Cook on medium low heat, until the sugar melts and starts to darken. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula, until the sugar has turned a deep golden brown color, about the color of an old copper penny.
Remove pan from heat and slowly drizzle a little bit of the still warm dairy into the caramelized sugar. The caramel will steam and bubble vigorously. Continue to drizzle and stir the dairy into the caramel, drizzling and whisking a little bit at a time until all the cream has been added. Resist the temptation to pour all the dairy into the pan at once, as the caramel will seize up and form into a huge solid chunk.Once all the cream has been added, if there are solid clumps of sugar in the sauce, gently warm the caramel on the stove over medium heat, stirring until the solid caramel pieces have dissolved.
Place the egg yolks in a large heatproof bowl. Using a balloon whisk, drizzle the still warm caramel sauce into the egg yolks, whisking the yolks as you pour the caramel. A second set of hands might be useful to whisk or pour the caramel if you aren’t super coordinated. Drizzle and whisk the caramel into the yolks, until all the caramel is incorporated. Do this slowly helps prevent the egg yolks from curdling or cooking.
Once all the caramel is added, stir in the vanilla and salt. Pour about 2/3 of the caramel custard (about 2 cups or 500 grams worth) into a glass measuring cup with a spout. Then add the chopped chocolate to the remaining 1/3 custard, stirring until the chocolate has melted.
Spoon or pour the chocolate custard evenly into 6 small heat proof jars or ramekins. Then carefully spoon or pour the reserve plain caramel custard over the chocolate custard evenly.Place the jars in a baking pan (the kind you bake brownies in) and place in the hot oven. Then carefully pour the boiling water into the pan until it goes about halfway up the side of the ramekins or jars, making sure not to get any water into the custard jars.Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the center of each ramekin or jar just barely jiggles. Remove from oven, let cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.To serve, remove the pot de crème from the fridge and let sit at room temperature to take some of the chill off. This will improve the flavor of the pots de crème. Sprinkle with a pinch of Maldon sea salt or other sea salt over it or use a dollop of whipped cream on top before serving.