Pot De Crème Recipe

Preheat and prepare ramekins

Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Place six 4-oz (about 120 ml) ramekins in a deep roasting pan or baking dish large enough to hold them with room between.

Warm dairy and melt chocolate

Combine the whole milk and 380 ml heavy cream in a medium saucepan and warm over medium heat until just steaming and small bubbles form at the edge (do not boil). Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit 1 minute, then whisk until smooth and fully melted. Stir in the pinch of salt and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Keep warm.

Temper yolks

In a medium bowl, whisk the 6 egg yolks with the granulated sugar until the mixture is pale and slightly thickened (about 1–2 minutes). Slowly pour about 120 ml of the warm chocolate-cream mixture into the yolks in a thin stream while whisking constantly to temper the yolks and avoid scrambling.

Combine custard

Return the tempered yolk mixture to the saucepan with the remaining chocolate-cream and stir gently to combine. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl or large measuring cup to remove any coagulated bits for an ultra-smooth texture.

Fill ramekins and bake in water bath

Divide the strained custard evenly among the six ramekins (about 120 ml/4 oz each). Place the roasting pan on the oven rack and carefully pour hot water into the pan until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the ramekins (about 1–1.5 in/2.5–4 cm). Cover the whole pan loosely with aluminum foil to reduce surface browning and prevent water from dripping onto the custards.

Bake until set

Bake at 325°F (160°C) for 30–35 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centers still have a slight wobble when gently shaken. Exact time can vary by oven and ramekin size—check at 25 minutes if your ramekins are smaller.

Cool

Remove the ramekins from the water bath and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool to room temperature (about 30–45 minutes), then cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours or up to 2 days to fully set and develop flavor.

Shortly before serving, loosen the chocolate-hazelnut spread by stirring it with 1 tablespoon hot water in a small bowl until smooth and slightly pourable. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the warmed spread into the center of each chilled pot de crème and use the back of the spoon to gently swirl it into the top layer of custard without breaking through to the bottom. Alternatively, leave as a small dollop on top.

Whip cream

In a chilled bowl, combine 180 ml cold heavy cream, 15 g powdered sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Whip with an electric mixer (or whisk) until soft to medium peaks form — the cream should hold shape but remain light.

Finish and serve

Pipe or dollop a generous spoonful (about 1–2 tbs) of the whipped cream onto each pot de crème. Sprinkle with chopped toasted hazelnuts and a light dusting of finely grated dark chocolate. Serve chilled.