Desserts Recipe

Preheat and prepare

Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Arrange six 120–150 ml (4–5 oz) ramekins in a deep-sided baking dish or roasting pan that will hold them snugly. Have a kettle of hot water ready to create a water bath (bain-marie).

Warm dairy and melt chocolate

Place the chopped bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the whole milk and heavy cream and warm over medium heat until it just begins to steam and small bubbles form at the edge (do not boil). Pour 1/3 of the hot dairy over the chopped chocolate and let sit 1 minute to soften, then whisk gently until smooth and glossy. Set aside.

Whisk eggs and sugar

In a separate bowl, whisk the six egg yolks with the granulated sugar until the mixture lightens slightly in color and the sugar is mostly dissolved (about 1–2 minutes). Add the vanilla extract and a pinch of fine sea salt and whisk to combine.

Temper yolks and combine

Slowly pour about half of the remaining hot cream mixture into the yolk mixture in a thin, steady stream while whisking constantly to temper the yolks (this prevents scrambling). Once incorporated, pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining warm cream and stir to combine for a homogeneous custard.

Combine custard with chocolate

Pour the warm custard through a fine-mesh sieve into the bowl with the melted chocolate to remove any cooked bits. Gently stir until completely smooth and glossy. Taste and adjust with a little more salt if desired.

Fill ramekins

Divide the chocolate custard evenly among the ramekins (about 120–150 ml each). Place the filled ramekins back in the baking dish.

Bake in water bath

Carefully pour hot water into the baking dish until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the ramekins, taking care not to splash water into the custards. Tent the baking dish loosely with foil if you like to reduce oven drafts. Bake in the preheated 150°C (300°F) oven for 25–30 minutes, or until the custards are set at the edges but still slightly jiggly in the center.

Cool and chill

Remove the ramekins from the water bath with tongs or a large spoon and transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes), then refrigerate uncovered or lightly covered for at least 2 hours, preferably 4 hours, to fully set and develop flavor.

Serve

Top each chilled pot de crème with a dollop of lightly whipped cream (about 20 ml per serving). Sprinkle a small pinch of flaky sea salt or dust lightly with cocoa powder if desired. Serve chilled.