Chocolate · Do-ahead

Bittersweet chocolate pots de creme

Recipe from Melissa Clark for the New York Times

“This is restaurant-grade pudding you can make at home. It’s dense yet buoyant with a profound chocolate flavor thanks to the use of bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate. A healthy dose of salt balances it all out.”

Serves 4-6

1 ½ cups heavy cream
½ cup whole milk
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
4 egg yolks
3 tbsp sugar
⅛ tsp kosher salt

Crème fraîche or whipped cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 300 F.

In a heavy saucepan, bring cream and milk to a boil. Remove from heat; whisk in chopped chocolate until smooth.
In a large bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar and salt. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot chocolate into yolks. Strain through a very fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl.
Divide mixture among 4-oz espresso cups or small ramekins. Set filled cups in a large roasting pan that has been positioned on center rack of oven. Add hot tap water to pan, halfway up sides of cups. Cover pan with foil; use a fork to prick holes in foil.
Bake until edges are lightly set (lifting foil to check) but center is still jiggly — it will set as it cools — 30 to 35 minutes.
Transfer cups to a wire rack to cool completely.
Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving with crème fraîche or whipped cream.