Buffalo Rising Online

Mar 19th, 2:20pm By Christa Glennie Seychew

When big family gatherings happen around a table there's always a lot of preparation to be done, and certainly Easter is no exception. Especially challenging is the fact that many will spend the morning attending a religious ceremony which limits the time available to ready the house and prepare the meal.

Hopefully some of you have taken Chef Bill Metzgar's recommendation for a meal centered around items that can all be made ahead, but for those of you looking down the barrel at a more traditional dinner, I'd like to offer you the recipe for one of my favorite make-ahead desserts.

Pots de crème (pronounced po-de-krehm) is the name of both a French custard and the petite lidded pots it's traditionally served in (see inset). Many variations of the recipe exist; my favorite is made with Earl Grey tea, but the most popular interpretation incorporates chocolate. This is a delicious dessert any time of year and can be made a day or two ahead and served chilled with a dollop of cream.

For Easter, I've made a milk chocolate version topped with cream and a Peep. I know it's a little cheesy, but its something the kids will find irresistible and worthy of a giggle. If there were no children at my Easter table, I would have used dark chocolate infused with orange and decorated each pot with one of Choco-logo's tasty little Orange Creamsicle Chicks (see inset).

The recipe below comes from a book called Tartine. I have changed some of the wording to make it as simple as possible. For those of you unfamiliar with some of the techniques used during preparation, please follow the links for a thorough description.


Milk Chocolate Pots de Crème makes 8- 6oz portions


6 oz milk chocolate, coarsely chopped · 2 3/4 cups heavy cream · 3 tbsp sugar · pinch salt · 8 egg yolks ·unsweetened whipped cream · Peeps of your choice for serving

Preheat oven to 350. Have ready custard cups or ramekins. Choose a baking pan or baking dish for a water bath large enough to accommodate custard cups or ramekins without touching, and deep enough to hold water that will reach three-fourths of the way up the sides of the molds once they are added. Pour enough hot water into the pan to reach about halfway up the sides of the pan, and place the pan in the oven while it is heating. For a video tutorial on using a bain marie (or water bath), click here.

Pour water to a depth of about 2 inches into a saucepan, place over medium heat, and bring to a gentle simmer. Select a stainless-steel bowl (or other heat-proof bowl) that will rest securely in the rim of the pan over, not touching, the water. Put the chocolate in the bowl, place over the water, and heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate melts and is smooth. Remove from the heat. For a tutorial on melting chocolate in a double boiler, click here.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the cream, sugar, and salt, place over medium heat, and heat to just under a boil. Place the egg yolks in a mixing bowl and whisk until well blended. When the cream mixture is ready, remove it from the heat and slowly pour it into the melted chocolate, whisking to incorporate. (To learn more about tempering eggs, click here.) Slowly add the chocolate-cream mixture to the egg yolks, again whisking well to incorporate. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher or large measuring cup.

Line up the custard cups or ramekins on the counter top, and pour the mixture into them, dividing it evenly. Pull out the oven rack holding the water bath and place the molds in the bath. Pour in more water if necessary to reach three-fourths of the way up the sides of the molds.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. To test for doneness, jiggle one of the molds; the center of the custard should still be a bit wobbly, but the outside should appear set. Remove the water bath. Let cool. The custards will continue to cook and set up as they cool. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream and a Peep or Choco-logo Creamsicle Chick.