Mocha Pôts de Crème

From the book Cooking for the Week by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart

Serves

8

Introduction

Wait until you taste this dessert! The luscious flavors of chocolate, coffee, and cinnamon marry in a delightfully rich custard. Use the classic white six-ounce ramekins for these pots de crème, or for fun, use small porcelain coffee mugs. With a dollop of whipped cream for garnish, it looks like hot chocolate.

Ingredients

Mocha Pôts de Crème

	1½	cups milk
	1½	cups heavy (whipping) cream
	½	cup espresso coffee beans, lightly crushed (see Cook’s Notes)
	3	Tbsp. granulated sugar
	1	cinnamon stick, or ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
	5	oz. semisweet baking chocolate, chopped into small pieces
	4	large egg yolks
	2	large eggs

Garnish

	½	cup heavy (whipping) cream
	2	tsp. powdered sugar, sifted

Steps

Mocha Pôts de Crème

1. In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine the milk, cream, coffee beans, sugar, cinnamon, and chocolate. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the chocolate is melted and the sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes. The mixture should remain just below a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool for 25 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Have ready eight 4-ounce ramekins and two 9-by-13-inch baking dishes. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and eggs until well beaten. Pour the cooled milk mixture into the eggs and stir until completely blended. Use a rubber spatula to scrape any remaining bits of chocolate or coffee from the saucepan. Place a fine-meshed sieve over the saucepan and pour the milk mixture back into the saucepan.
3. Divide the mixture among the ramekins. Set 4 ramekins in each baking dish and set the baking dishes on the center rack of oven. Pour warm—not hot—water into the baking dishes until water comes about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake until the custards are just set in the center, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the water bath and let cool on wire racks for 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Garnish

1. Just before serving, make the garnish: In a deep bowl, beat the cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Leave 4 of the pôts de crème refrigerated, ungarnished, for a weeknight dessert. Top the other 4 with a dollop of whipped cream and serve.

Notes

• Serves 4, with 4 reserved for a weeknight dessert
• The easiest way to crush coffee beans is to place them in a heavy lock-top plastic bag. Use a rolling pin or a heavy pot to crush the beans.
• The reserved pats de crème will keep well in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
• Leftover whipped cream can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days. As the whipped cream sits, some liquid will separate to the bottom; don’t try to mix it together, just use the thickened cream on top.

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