Friday, August 2, 2013

Chocolate Pot de Creme and My Never List

Have I got a dessert for you: Chocolate Pot de Creme.  However, I can only endorse making it once.  It is the kind of dessert you should taste, enjoy, marvel at...and then find a way to make it with less whipping creme.

I have had make pot de creme on my "Never List" for a long long time.  

My "Never List" is a collection of food-related items that I have never tried, but would like to make/bake/taste.  It is far less dramatic than a bucket list (no one would say, "I'd like to learn how to make pot de creme before I die."), but it nags at me just the same.  It is something I have "never" made (or tried)...yet.

I recently crossed off: "Eat a fresh gooseberry" when my friend Josh picked a small basket of fresh fruits and berries from his garden to eat with his cheeses. My review?  Gooseberries are tangy and full of flavor (plus they are a beautiful pale celery yellow) - a perfect to compliment cheese.  Try them. 

What's an easy item still on my "Never List?"  Make biscotti.  You would have thought I'd tried that by now, right?, but I haven't had a chance.  So I write it down and the Never List goes on.

Anyhoo, I have wanted to make Pot de Creme for ages and I even bought antique containers this winter in Palm Beach, remember?  Since then, I started feeling nervous about experimenting with a water bath in an antique vessel, so I decided to try out this recipe from Epicurious in some classic pots ($1.95 each) from Sur La Table first, to get a feel for it.  

The result was magnificent. You should absolutely use this recipe for any party where you need a show-stopping dessert.  I made my batch with Ghirardelli semi sweet chocolate chips and I wouldn't change a thing.

Except that I am never making it again.  Ha! I can't feed my family something with that much fat on purpose.  I will be re-working this pot de creme recipe into something that is delicious, but more reasonable in the fat department.  Stay tuned...

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