Pots De Crème, the name sounds so French and fancy, doesn't it? But it actually just means "pot of custard" or "pot of cream". And from what I've read, also refers to the porcelain cups it's often served in. The texture is very similar to custard or pudding but just a little looser.
The first time I ever tasted Pots De Crème was at Elizabeth St. Café in Austin, TX. My sister always tries to come visit from GA at least once a year and it's typically in early July, just in time for our parent's birthdays. When she visits we always like to make a trip to Austin for the day. It's one of our favorite cities to just hang out in. We eat breakfast at Kerbey Lane, shop on South Congress, browse Waterloo Records, eat dinner at Las Palomas - our favorite Mexican restaurant, and get dessert and iced coffee at Elizabeth St. Cafe!
I love this place, you guys! For one thing it's so super cute and classy. And I'm always a fan of any place that has great coffee and desserts. We usually stop in the middle of the day after shopping on SoCo. Right when you are seated they serve you a complimentary glass of ice water.... which kinda just makes you want to hug them after being out in the scorching July heat all afternoon. My favorite thing to order is a glass of their Vietnamese Iced Coffee and their Coffee flavored Pots De Crème (yes, give me all the coffee, please).
They serve it with a generous dollop of whipped cream and a chocolate cookie. The coffee flavor is not overwhelming and the texture is silky and light. It was a simple dessert, really, but one of the best things I'd ever tasted. I became determined to recreate this at home. After testing out a couple recipes that didn't turn out quite right, I found this one! It's pretty simple and fast to whip up and is crazy good! With the holidays right around the corner it would make such an easy and impressive dessert! Hope you'll give it a try!
Some more pictures of our last visit to Elizabeth St. Café:
My sis and I in front of the colorful café.
Picture of the café as well as other desserts we ordered. Blueberry bread pudding w/ basil ice cream and a French Macaron ice cream sandwich. Amazing.
Chocolate Espresso Pots De Crème -
(Recipe originally found @ http://thespicetrain.com)
I posted this recipe as is but I did make a few adjustments when I made it. I didn't think the whipped cream recipe was at all sweet enough... well, at least not for my super human sweet tooth. So I used this recipe and added the instant espresso powder to it. Also, I didn't have any coffee liqueur for the drizzle so I just dissolved some instant coffee granules and sugar in some heavy cream. It worked just fine! You could also use the recipe for coffee drizzle instead.
I also sometimes leave off the drizzle and just garnish it with a chocolate covered coffee bean (one of the best treats in all the world).
However you choose to do it, trust me, you will love it! Chocolate and coffee are a match made in heaven, one of my favorite dessert combos. Silky, creamy and surprising not overly sweet. Elegant and simple all at the same time.
Ingredients:
For the pots de creme:
•3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
•3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
•1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
•¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
•1 cup whole milk
•⅔ cup heavy cream
•4 egg yolks
•4 tablespoons sugar
•⅛ teaspoon salt
For the espresso-flavored whipped cream:
•½ cup heavy cream
•1½ teaspoons sugar
•½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
For the espresso drizzle:
•¼ cup coffee liqueur
•¼ cup heavy cream
•1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
Instructions:
For the pots de creme:
Be sure that the chocolate is finely chopped (1/4 inch length or smaller). Put chocolate, espresso and vanilla in a blender or a food processor. Whisk milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar and salt together in a saucepan until well combined. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, heat the saucepan to almost a simmer and keep stirring until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon.
Pour the hot milk mix into the food processor, put on the lid and process until you have a homogeneous mix (this only takes a few seconds). Pour into ramekins or glasses and chill until set (2-3 hours).
For the espresso-flavored whipped cream:
Whip all ingredients to stiff peaks.
For the espresso drizzle:
Add coffee liqueur, cream and espresso powder to a saucepan and bring to a very low simmer. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon keep the mix simmering until reduced to about ⅓ cup. Let cool to room temperature.
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