Ten minutes is all it takes to make this non-fussy Pots de Crème made in the blender for a super easy, crazy delicious date night or dinner party-worthy dessert. You know you’re going to need this recipe!
Add chocolate to a blender and pulse to roughly chop.
Meanwhile, whisk the milk, 1 cup cream, egg yolks, granulated sugar, and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring continually with a heatproof spatula to almost boiling (about 5 minutes) until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spatula.
Immediately pour the mixture over the chocolate into the blender. Cover and hold the blender lid with a thick kitchen towel; blend until the chocolate and the cooked mixture is combined and smooth. Pour into fancy glasses, ramekins, or small bowls and refrigerate until set.
Before serving, whip the remaining 1/2 cup cream and the confectioners’ sugar with a hand mixer until soft peaks form. Top the chilled pots de crème with a dollop of whipped cream, dust with a pinch of cocoa powder, or a few cocoa nibs, then garnish with fresh raspberries or a mint sprig if desired.
KITCHEN NOTES
The Classic French Method of Making Pots de CrèmeThe traditional French process is more involved. To do it, you start by heating 3 cups of heavy cream and semi-sweet dark chocolate over medium to medium-low heat to melt the chocolate. Next, in a separate bowl, you will whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and salt. Then, the chocolate cream gets whisked into the egg and sugar mixture before getting filled evenly into little pots (or ramekins) and placed in a baking dish.That baking dish gets filled with hot water (3/4 of the way up the pots’ side) to bake in a water bath. The water bath ensures the cream will remain smooth when baking because only the top of the cream bakes in dry heat, which creates the signature “skin-like” surface of the Pots de Crème.This procedure is a bit time-consuming and rather fussy. Overall, increasing the prep time to around 20 minutes and the cooking (baking) time to a solid 30 minutes.Cooking and Serving Notes for Traditional Pot de Crème• Choose eggs and cream that are as fresh as possible.• You can choose traditional 1/2 (120ml) cup glass “pots” (like the little ones you buy yogurt in at the store), individual porcelain ramekins, or other oven-safe vessels.• Choose a high quality semi-sweet dark chocolate (70% is ideal). Chocolate Pots de Crème doesn’t have many ingredients – so the best chocolate you can find makes all the difference!• As mentioned above, if you’re looking to create the French signature texture, baking pots de crème in a water bath is essential to creating a creamy custard underneath with a thick “skin” on top.• When baking traditionally, if you’re afraid of spilling water everywhere when transferring the dish into the oven. Set the baking dish with only the pots (and no water) onto the oven rack, then pour the water into the baking dish. When done, turn off the oven, open the door and wait for the pots and water to cool to the touch before removing them.• Most Chocolate Pots de Crème in France are enjoyed “naked,” with no toppings from what I’ve read. In North America, whipped cream and chocolate shavings often garnish the desserts – which is an excellent way to use up any leftover or remaining heavy cream and chocolate you may have after making this recipe.• Enjoy the pots de crème warm or let them cool to room temperature, refrigerate them (for up to 2 days) to enjoy by the spoonful to satisfy any creamy, rich chocolate craving you may have.