The first time I ever had chocolate pots de creme (pronounces poh duh crem), Sara and I were on a work trip in Des Moines, Iowa. Des Moines probably doesn’t come to mind when you think of culinary hotspot, but I’m telling you, the restaurants we experienced there were some of the best I’ve ever been to in my life. And that first pot de creme (and the crème brûlée that same night) was one of the most spectacular dessert experiences I’d ever had.
If you’ve never had pot de creme, it’s basically a very dense, rich chocolate pudding. This is not a pudding pack in your school lunch. This is more of a the-kids-are-in-bed, it’s- Netflix-o’clock, don’t-anyone-touch-my-chocolate experience. Or the elegant dessert you serve when you have company over (these are really great because you can make them ahead of time).
You’ll need 9 ounces of AMERICAN HERITAGE® Historic Chocolate Drink, heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla. You’ll also need powdered sugar for sweetening the whipped cream.
AMERICAN HERITAGE® chocolate is perfect here because the spicier notes add richness and depth to what can be a very simple dessert. You can buy it here or us their product locator to see if it’s sold near you. If you want to learn more about this particular chocolate and our relationship with them, check out this post!
Place the chocolate drink in the jar of your blender.
Whisk the milk,
1 cup cream,
egg yolks,
sugar,
and salt in heavy medium saucepan until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly,
until the mixture is almost boiling and is thickened and coats the back of a spatula.
Pour the mixture over the chocolate in the blender jar and add the vanilla. Place the lid on the blender jar and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Divide the mixture evenly into ramekins or small jars (it should just pour right out).
Chill until set, about 2-3 hours.
Whip the remaining cup of heavy cream with 1/4 cup powdered sugar until soft peaks form.
Dollop on top of the pots de creme and, if desired, garnish with shaved chocolate and serve.
Note: These can be made 2-3 days in advance and refrigerated until ready to serve; after they chill, just cover tightly with plastic wrap until ready to serve
Chocolate Pots de Creme
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8
Description
Ingredients
- 9 ounces AMERICAN HERITAGE® Historic Chocolate Drink
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Place the chocolate drink in the jar of your blender. Whisk the milk, 1 cup cream, egg yolks, sugar, and salt in heavy medium saucepan until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is almost boiling and is thickened and coats the back of a spatula.
Pour the mixture over the chocolate in the blender jar and add the vanilla. Place the lid on the blender jar and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Divide the mixture evenly into ramekins or small jars (it should just pour right out). Chill until set, about 2-3 hours.
Whip the remaining cup of heavy cream with 1/4 cup powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Dollop on top of the pots de creme and, if desired, garnish with shaved chocolate and serve.
Note: These can be made 2-3 days in advance and refrigerated until ready to serve; after they chill, just cover tightly with plastic wrap until ready to serve.
Notes
CA does not have AH drink…. what do you mean by 9 oz of semi sweet ? DRY?
thanks
Phyllis
Yes, just semi-sweet chocolate. Chocolate chips, chocolate bar, any form is fine 🙂
Would Crio Bru work as a substitute for the chocolate drink?
I think 9 ounces of semisweet chocolate would be better! Hope that helps! 🙂
What size ramekins or small jars? 4 ounce? 6 ounce? 8 ounce? I just happen to have some of the drink mix on hand. These are so adorable and with the AH chocolate, I know they will be perfect for Christmas!
Depends on your preference—4-6 ounces would probably be best! 🙂
I had my first experience with Pot de Creme in Paris in 2015! We had just arrived and made our way to a cafe with our traveling friends! It was so rich and creamy and delicious. I can’t wait to try making this!
This looks amazing! I totally need to make this asap!
Of course I like this post!
Yum, these look SOOOOOO good Kate!!!!!
Is there a substitute you recommend for the chocolate drink mix if we can’t get the American Heritage product?
9 ounces of semi sweet chocolate should do the trick. 🙂
If you make them ahead of time do you wait to add the whipped cream?
Yeah, I would. Hope that helps!
I live in Des Moines and have to agree about our restaurant scene……it’s fantastic! Now I’m dying to know the restaurant that inspired this recipe. (I have a few guesses but would love to know.) I made Pots De Crème for the first time on Valentine’s Day for our romantic candlelight dinner for 5 (my husband and I and our 3 kids…SUPER romantic..haha), they are so delicious and surprisingly easy to make with the added bonus of sounding super fancy and impressive. Can’t wait to try your spin on them!
I wish I could remember what it was!! I’ll go back and see if I have it written down somewhere!
Just a note about Des Moines; my sister lives there and works as a chef in the test kitchen for Better Homes and Gardens magazine. So it makes sense to me that it would be a culinary hot spot!
Yes!! We were actually there with BH&G! It was so fantastic!
Yes, Kate and Sara were part of a blogger cook-off here and I hosted them in my kitchen. Of course they won the cook-off. We had fun talking about our shared BYU experiences and they were surprised that I have sisters named Kate and Sara(h). Hi Edie!
This looks so creamy and decadent….going to have to try!