Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate Custard Base
- 150 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 240 ml heavy cream
- 120 ml whole milk
- 6 egg yolks, room temperature
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 1 g salt
Garnish
- 40 g unsalted pistachios, shelled, lightly roasted, and chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 419 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbohydrates
- 26 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 20 g
- Sodium
- 95 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 17 g
- Trans Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 10 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Cholesterol
- 229 mg
- Potassium
- 294 mg
- Calcium
- 93 mg
- Iron
- 2.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 58 mg
- Phosphorus
- 203 mg
- Zinc
- 1.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 240 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.8 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 3 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.5 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.12 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.23 mg
- Niacin
- 0.3 mg
- Folate
- 30 mcg
- Water
- 50 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
- Caffeine
- 22 mg
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 150C/300F. Line the bottom of a roasting pan with a folded kitchen towel and arrange 6 ramekins inside. Boil a kettle of water.
Place the finely chopped dark chocolate into a heatproof mixing bowl.
In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream and whole milk over medium heat just until it comes to a gentle simmer. Do not let it boil vigorously.
Pour the hot dairy mixture over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit undisturbed for 1 minute, then whisk gently until completely smooth and glossy.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla extract until well combined and slightly pale.
Slowly pour the warm chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly to temper the yolks without scrambling them.
Strain the combined custard mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a pitcher or large measuring cup to catch any chalazae or undissolved sugar.
Divide the strained custard evenly among the ramekins. Carefully pour the boiling water from the kettle into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Carefully transfer the roasting pan to the oven. Bake at 150C/300F for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still jiggle slightly when tapped.
Remove the ramekins from the water bath immediately and let them cool to room temperature. Once cooled, cover loosely and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to fully set.
Just before serving, garnish each pot de creme generously with the chopped roasted pistachios.
Chef's Notes
- For the silkiest texture, never skip straining the custard base; it removes the chalazae from the eggs and any undissolved fragments.
- Placing a folded kitchen towel at the bottom of your roasting pan prevents the ramekins from sliding and insulates them from the direct heat of the pan bottom.
- Use high-quality couverture chocolate with around 70 percent cacao for optimal balance against the rich dairy.
- To prevent a skin from forming while baking, you can cover the ramekins loosely with aluminum foil, making sure the foil does not touch the liquid.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Cover tightly with plastic wrap to prevent skin formation.
Troubleshooting
Custard texture is grainy or split
Cause: The water bath boiled or the custard overbaked, causing the egg yolks to curdle.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked.
Prevention: Ensure the water bath never reaches a rolling boil in the oven and pull the ramekins while the center still wobbles.
Custard has not set firmly after chilling
Cause: Underbaked or insufficient chilling time.
Fix: Wait another few hours. If still too soft, serve as a thick pudding.
Prevention: Ensure edges are set before removing from the oven, and chill for a full 4 hours.
Cultural Context
Pot de creme translates to pot of cream, a classic French dessert dating back to the 17th century. Unlike mousse, which relies on whipped air, or flan, which is firm enough to slice, pot de creme is gently baked in a bain-marie to achieve an incredibly dense, spoonable silkiness that perfectly highlights high-quality chocolate.
