Chocolate Pots de Creme

Alright, this is a self-serving post. I acquired this recipe from the February 2007 issue of In Style and made it, very successfully, for a dinner party I had earlier this year. But now, the page of the magazine that the recipe is printed on is slowly withering away, so I figured it was time to immortalize the recipe in the blogosphere.

Warning: this dessert is not diet-friendly. But it *is* incredibly easy to make, with great, great rewards. My friends and I had this with a jug of 30-year old tawny port (yes, a whole jug between the 4 of us...Oh, do I have stories about that night...) and it was deeeeelish. I served this after a meal of pancetta, pear, and goat cheese crisps; Mario Batali's milk-braised lamb (another incredible dish); and braised carrots with cumin and brown sugar--and it was a paean to wintertime. This dish is particularly conducive to dinner parties, as is the lamb described above, because it can be made the night before.

Serves 8

2 1/2 cups of heavy cream (i warned you...)
6 squares (1 oz. each) semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used scharffenberger)
1/4 cup dark rum (Gosling's...make dark and stormys for the evening's cocktail of choice!)
6 egg yolks
3 tbsp sugar
Whipped cream for garnish (try to get fresh, unpasteurized cream. Pasteurized cream has weird solids in it that change the look and taste of whipped cream)

1. Heat oven to 325. Place the rack in the center of the oven.

2. In saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk heavy cream, chocolate, and rum until chocolate has melted (make sure the cream is not too hot, or boiling, because it will scramble the eggs).

3. In medium bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until combined.

4. Slowly whisk hot cream into eggs.

5. Divide mixture among 8 6-oz ramekins. Place ramekins in roasting pan.

6. Carefully pour hot water into pan; water should reach halfway up the side of the ramekins.

7. Bake custards until just set around edges, around 25 minutes (i did closer to 30 minutes).

8. Remove ramekins from water (carefully!!!!) and place in refrigerator for 3 hours or until completely chilled.

9. Garnish with whipped cream.