Chocolate Pot de Crème Recipe

When I think of the ultimate sensuous desserts, chocolate pot de creme just about tops my list. Rich and supple, the chocolate-laden custard envelops your mouth in a way that a chocolate cake just can't.

It's also not just another chocolate pudding. And here's my decidedly unsexy explanation: though similar in flavor and texture to a pudding, a pot de creme is technically a different beast. Both are custards, so it all comes down to the thickener and the method used to set the custard. A pudding is classified as a "stirred" custard and thickened with a starch (generally cornstarch), while a pot de creme is baked and only relies on the eggs to gently set it.

Which do I prefer? As a die hard chocoholic I'm hard pressed to choose. Pudding has its creamy merits (and I do make puddings a heck more often than pot de cremes), but since a starch can tend to mask flavor, I'll have to go with a pot du creme for having the truest chocolate flavor. This time of year couldn't be a more perfect time to bake up a batch of these decadent little "pots". And by decadent, I mean decadent. With a blend of milk, heavy cream, and yolks, these dangerously potent pot de cremes do not mess around. And by swapping in a deep dark 70% bittersweet chocolate, these custards are decidedly more chocolate than sweet. Cuddle up under a blanket and slowly savor every spoonful.