Survival Chocolate Pots de Crème

I had a whole post written out about the Snowpocalypse and SNOMG! and Snowverkill and every other cutesy term coined this February as a result of more than two feet of snow here in the metro DC area that descended upon us the week before Valentine's Day, and I hunkered down for a weekend of great baking. On my list: Fran Bigelow's Chocolate Pots de Crème.

Unfortunately, I didn't have as much time to blog and bake as expected since my employer didn't consider metro closures, week-long school closures, an unprecedented four-day closure of the federal government, and absolutely treacherous roads to be reason enough to close the office.

But the title of this post isn't extremely bitter chocolate pots de crème. :) Fortunately, I looked forward to making these beauties all week. Even a 3.5-hour one-way commute on Friday couldn't stop me from the excitement of this dessert. Score another perfect 10 for Fran!

Any time I make a dessert that is time-sensitive or that requires a lot of equipment or care, I make sure everything is ready well before I turn on the burner. For this, I recommend you have the eggs separated and ready to go, a teapot on the boil (it can simmer until you're ready for it), the ingredients measured, chocolate chopped, and the strainer, baking dish, and ramekins ready. It is not, however, a difficult recipe. Promise.

Trust me when I say that you'll want to save this one for a special occasion—but sometimes just surviving the week is reason enough.

Survival Chocolate Pots de Crème
1 whole egg
5 egg yolks
2 T. plus 1 t. sugar
pinch of salt
1 c. heavy cream
1 c. whole milk
8 oz. semisweet chocolate (60% preferred), finely chopped

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Set a tea kettle filled with water on the stovetop to boil. Have ready six 5-ounce pot de crème cups or ramekins.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and egg yolks with 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sugar and a pinch of salt. Whisk until smooth and the sugar begins to dissolve. Set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, heat the cream, milk, and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar until it comes to just a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped chocolate. Gently stir until the chocolate is completely melted (be patient!) and smooth (you'll thank me later).

Pour about a third (just eyeball it) of the chocolate mixture into the eggs and immediately stir to combine. Then add the remaining chocolate mixture, gently stirring until smooth without incorporating too much air or too many bubbles. (This will help the texture later.)

Using a rubber spatula to help, strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup. You should have about 24 fluid ounces.

Pour about 4 ounces into each pot de crème cup or ramekin until 1/2 inch from the top. Tap the base of each cup on the counter to remove any bubbles.

If using pot de crème cups, place their hats (lids... whatever) on them—or individually and tightly cover each ramekin with plastic wrap to prevent a skin. With the tip of a sharp knife, punch a small slit in the surface of the plastic wrap so that steam can escape during cooking.

When your tea kettle comes to a boil, arrange the custard cups in a rimmed baking dish or roasting pan and place in the oven. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan around the custard cups to a depth of about an inch to create a bain-marie (a fancy term for a water bath, which ensures even, gentle cooking). If using ramekins, loosely cover the pan with foil.

Bake for 35 minutes (perfect amount of time for my oven), or until the custard is set. If the center moves independently when gently shaken, continue baking.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate any portion not devoured.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Other inkpadchocolate V-day recommendations:
Chocolate Soufflés
Aunt Louise's Famous Chocolate Mousse
Chocolate Pavé
Flourless Chocolate Torte

Bake Sale: "Gold Bar" (i.e., Caramel, Roasted Almond) Brownies

I made these brownies as part two of my bake sale goodies, and they sold equally as fast. Tip: label your brownies as homemade and use the buzz words caramel and roasted almonds, and they'll be gone in a flash!

I have just been so pleased with all of Fran's recipes so far, and this was possibly the most delicious brownie I've ever had. Something about watching the caramel bubble as it cooked in the oven stirred me deeply! If you're not an almond fan, by all means, omit them, but they really add a nice crunch and depth, especially roasted. But the brownie base itself is just awesome plain too.

Apparently, the Gold Bar is one of Fran's best-selling chocolate bars. She started making these brownies in her shop with the leftover Gold Bar scraps, but this recipe is for the home baker without an endless supply of Gold Bars. :)

Gold Bar Brownies
1 c. store-bought caramel sauce
8 oz. (1 2/3 c.) whole almonds
1 lb. semisweet chocolate
1.5 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 stick + 2 T. unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c. + 2 T. packed brown sugar
2/3 c. sugar
1.5 t. vanilla extract
3/4 t. instant espresso powder (I omitted)
3 large eggs
1 3/4 c. cake flour, sifted then measured

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly butter a 9x13" sheet pan. Place whole almonds on a separate baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 minutes or until fragrant. Let cool then roughly chop into 1/4-inch pieces. Set aside.

Finely chop 12 ounces (not all!) of the semisweet chocolate and all of the unsweetened chocolate (1.5 ounces) for melting. In a separate pile, chop the remaining 4 ounces of semisweet chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks, to serve as chocolate chips.

Melt the finely chopped semisweet and unsweetened chocolates in a double boiler or a good pot over low heat. Remove when nearly melted and continue stirring until smooth.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and the two sugars until light and very fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together the vanilla and the espresso powder (if using espresso powder; if not, just go to the next step).

Add vanilla/espresso mixture to butter mixture and beat to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions and scraping the bowl several times. Pour in the melted chocolate and beat to combine.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and FOLD in the sifted cake flour by hand until no traces of white remain (it might take a little while). Fold in the 4 ounces of semisweet chocolate chunks and toasted almonds (I actually skipped the almonds at this point and placed them on top of the brownie batter once it was in the pan instead). The batter will be very thick. Evenly spread the batter in the prepared 13x9" pan.

Spoon the caramel sauce in tablespoon-sized dollops over the top. Using a table knife drawn through the batter, swirl the caramel into the batter to marbelize. (Toss on the almonds now if you haven't already!)

Bake for 45 minutes. When tested with a toothpick in the brownie portion (not the caramel!), it will have moist crumbs when done. Let cool in the pan one hour (important!) and cut into squares.

Welcome to molten caramel heaven!

Truffle Brownies

My second Fran recipe was another success, but part of me feels like I have become to "Americanized." I think I prefer a regular chewy brownie over this indulgence. But it's still worth sharing! It is excellent with ice cream.

Truffle Brownies
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
6 large eggs, room temperature
2 t. vanilla extract
1 cup flour

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch sheet pan.

In a double boiler over simmering water or a good nonstick pot, combine the chocolates. Remove when nearly melted and continue stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool.

In a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars at medium speed until light, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and continue beating until the mixture is smooth and light, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the cooled chocolate and mix well. If the butter begins to melt when the chocolate is added, stop pouring and let the chocolate cool further. The finished mixture should be glossy and smooth. Do not overmix. (I did; the mixture suddenly went from the consistency of brownie batter to that of cookie dough, and I had a really hard time folding in the flour.)

With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the flour until all traces of white have disappeared. Be careful not to overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 30 minutes, or until the crust is dull on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with dark, wet crumbs on it.

Let cool in the pan about 1 hour. Cut into squares and remove with a spatula. Store brownies in sealed plastic containers for as long as a week, or freeze.

Chocolate Pavé

This recipe is from a chocolate cookbook that I borrowed from the library... but I must buy it soon. After asking for Fran's salted dark chocolate caramels for Christmas, I have since become obsessed with them, and the chocolatier behind them. Her book is great for the somewhat experienced baker, and vanilla lovers need not apply. With just three decadent ingredients, I knew this would be the recipe to try out first—for Valentine's Day, no less! Please note, Fran urges you to follow the directions to the letter so that it will turn out properly.

Chocolate Pavé
(or Pavé Josephine, as Fran has named it)

1 1/4 pounds semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 eggs, room temperature

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with a parchment paper circle (I just used regular parchment paper, traced the pan, and cut it out).

In a double boiler or a good nonstick pot, melt the chocolate over low heat. Remove from heat when nearly melted and continue stirring until completely smooth. Add the room temperature butter in three parts, stirring until no visible traces of butter remain. (If the butter begins to melt and separate, stop and allow the chocolate more time to cool.) The finished mixture should be glossy and smooth. Set aside to cool until the mixture is the consistency of softened butter. Briefly return to heat if it begins to thicken too much.

In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the eggs at medium-high speed, increasing to high speed until light and tripled in volume, 5 to 6 minutes. Fold the eggs into the chocolate mixture (stirring until it's completely combined and there are no streaks) and pour into the prepared pan.

Place the cake pan onto a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet, and put in the oven. Pour about 1/2 inch of simmering water into the baking sheet, making a bain-marie (water bath). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top looks dull and the center is shiny but set. When you shake the cake pan, the cake should jiggle slightly.

Cool the cake in the pan at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. To remove from the pan, run a thin-bladed knife around the edges and invert onto a 9-inch cardboard cake circle or tart bottom, leaving the parchment in place. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill overnight (preferably).

To finish the torte:
Remove from the refrigerator, unwrap, and peel off the parchment. Let warm to room temperature. Slide an offset spatula under the cardboard circle, rotating the spatula to release it completely. Carefully lift the torte and, supporting the cake's bottom with your free hand, slide it onto its serving plate.

Can be stored at room temperature up to three days (if it lasts that long!), with cut edges protected.

Happy Valentine's Day!!