Chocolate Pot de Crème – serves 6

The Balthazar Cookbook
Keith McNally, Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson
Clarkson Potter Publishers, New York, 2003

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 ounces Valrhona semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
6 large egg yolks

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, milk, sugar and vanilla. Whisk to combine and bring to a boil over a medium flame. Add the chopped chocolate and whisk until all the chocolate has melted. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks. Then, in a slow, steady stream, add in the chocolate-cream mixture, whisking until smooth.

Divide the mixture among 6 Pearl Collection tea cups and place them in a large casserole or high-sided baking dish. Make a bainmarie, or water bath, by pouring cold water into the casserole so that it comes halfway up the sides of the tea cups. Cover tightly with foil and bake on the center rack for 1 hour and 15 minutes. The custards should jiggle slightly in the center when finished. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate. Serve cool.