Chocolate Pots de Crème (French Chocolate Pudding)
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Note: This recipe is part of the Nourishing Chocolate Recipes carnival at the Nourishing Gourmet blog. Please visit The Nourishing Gourmet for more healthy chocolate recipes.
Pot de Crème is a traditional French dessert that became popular back in the 17th century. The name means “pot of custard” or “pot of cream”. It is simply a custard baked in a water bath, much like a flan or what we Americans call pudding. Pot de Crème is traditionally served in small ceramic pots but you can use ramekins or even espresso cups.
Pot de Crème — especially this chocolate variety — is a wonderfully rich and satisfying dessert when you have a craving for sweets after dinner.
And it’s fancy enough for dinner guests. Plus it’s gluten- and grain-free. Best of all, it’s so easy to make. And it can be made ahead the day before or in the morning.
This recipe is based on the recipe from the Balthazar Cookbook (which I highly, highly recommend — every recipe — from the French fries to the chicken liver mousse has come out delicious).
Balthazar is one of my favorite restaurants. It’s a brasserie in SoHo and they have a fabulous raw seafood bar. If you’re ever in Manhattan, drop by for a plate of oysters and a glass of wine. You can even get a traditional English breakfast there. But I digress…
I adapted the recipe by using a healthy sweetener, rapadura or sucanat, instead of refined white sugar. Rapadura contains all the vitamins and minerals in unrefined sugar — like in blackstrap molasses. You can find it in health food stores. I found sucanat at a local restaurant supply store. I swear there is absolutely no difference — this tasted just as good as if it were made with white sugar!
I also used grass-fed cream and grass-fed whole milk. It is not essential to use raw milk because this recipe involves boiling. But do try to use milk and cream from grass-fed cows on pasture, and eggs from pastured chickens. It makes this dessert so much healthier.
You can serve the pots de crème (or pot au crème) with whipped cream if you like (just whip a little cream with a little maple syrup to make it slightly sweet). But this dessert is heavenly — whipping cream or no whipping cream.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (4 ounces) organic grass-fed cream
1/3 cup organic grass-fed whole milk
1 1/2 ounces rapadura or sucanat (Rapnunzel or other brands; available at health food stores and some restaurant supply stores)
1/3 tsp organic vanilla extract
2 1/2 ounces good quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used Callebaut — it’s very good chocolate and tastes wonderful, but unfortunately it does contain refined sugar and soy lecithin; a better choice would be Rapunzel brand bittersweet or semisweet chocolate)
2 large pastured egg yolks
1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
2. Measure your ingredients and set them out mise en place.
3. In a medium saucepan on medium heat, combine the cream, milk, rapadura or sucanat, and vanilla extract. Stir and bring to a boil.
4. Add the chocolate and whisk until melted. Remove from heat.
5. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks.
6. Slowly whisk in the beaten egg yolks to the chocolate mixture in a slow, steady stream (like making mayonnaise).
7. Pour the mixture into two ramekins or espresso cups.
8. Set the cups in a high-sided baking dish and fill the baking dish with cold water about halfway up the sides of the cups.
9. Cover tightly with foil and bake for an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and 30 minutes (the Balthazar recipe says one hour and 15 minutes but mine took longer).
10. Using a pot holder, remove from the bath. Let cool slightly on the counter, then transfer to the fridge and serve chilled. If you are short on time, you can slip the cups into the freezer. Freeze for only 20 minutes — then transfer to fridge or serve.
Don’t forget to let your little ones (or big ones for that matter) lick the whisk and bowl!
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10/02/2009 at 6:16 am Permalink
These look great. I’m doing low carb right now, so they are out. But maybe someday. I have two resident spatula-lickers: my husband and my toddler.
And thanks for your comment on my new site. Let me know if you’re still interested in me being involved in real food media.
Have a great day!
Shannon’s last blog post..Looking Ahead
10/02/2009 at 6:22 am Permalink
Hi, Shannon! Yes I want you to join RFM! I have to update the autofeed plugin so I can accomodate more feeds. When are you ready to syndicate?
10/02/2009 at 9:02 am Permalink
Oh my oh my
I HAVE to do theese on saturday
Thank you
Henriette’s last blog post..Fedt gør dig fed- eller ? Nøglehullets vildfarelse
10/02/2009 at 9:30 am Permalink
My husband didn’t finish his last night — I guess he was stuffed from those seared ahi tacos.
But he ate the rest of his chocolate this morning for breakfast! LOL!
10/02/2009 at 9:43 am Permalink
Have you ever tried Sweet Earth chocolate? The bittersweet varieties are soy-free. I order a bunch at one time and just keep it on hand indefinitely for cookies and desserts. Yum! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
10/02/2009 at 9:51 am Permalink
Thanks for the tip, Jeannette! I went and checked out their site: http://www.sweetearthchocolates.com/ Looks good!
10/02/2009 at 10:01 am Permalink
Ooooooh, that looks divine.
and I am wondering, do you ever take requests for post ideas?
Soli’s last blog post..Sometimes I post a lot.
10/02/2009 at 10:09 am Permalink
YES request away!
10/02/2009 at 11:07 am Permalink
Poor Kate! A whisk isn’t easy to lick. She needs a spatula!!
10/02/2009 at 11:15 am Permalink
Nice, easy, and delicious-looking recipe! I wonder, could you use cocoa powder instead? Also, I’ve always heard that you should add vanilla extract after heating/boiling, not before. When you use vanilla bean you boil it to extract the flavor.
I will be making this soon!
10/02/2009 at 11:52 am Permalink
Can’t wait to try this!
I love your pictures!
OH, and I 2nd the question about cocoa powder.
Kelly
Kelly the Kitchen Kop’s last blog post..“Quick Takes”
10/02/2009 at 12:43 pm Permalink
I believe you can use cocoa powder:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/cocoa.html
Also, Martha Stewart uses cocoa powder in her recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chocolate-pot-de-creme.
Of course she also uses skim milk and evaporated milk — not recommended!
10/02/2009 at 4:32 pm Permalink
My request: I’m a TF newbie and trying to incorporate it into as much of my eating as possible. My downfall is lunch during the week. I work full time and usually it’s just easier to go upstairs and buy something instead of trying to figure out what to make in advance. What I’d love are simple meals, especially things that don’t require reheating. (the microwave at work is NASTY.) But trying to come up with stuff is impossible. And I’m also not a cook up extra food at dinner woman; if I make even a little extra I feel like I have to eat it then.
Soli’s last blog post..Plotting
10/02/2009 at 8:08 pm Permalink
Soli,
Ann Marie said it was OK if I gave you this link for some healthy lunch ideas:
http://www.kellythekitchenkop.com/2008/05/fast-food-healthy-options.html
You’ll need to scroll down a bit to get to the lunch section.
Hope that helps a little,
Kelly
10/02/2009 at 10:23 pm Permalink
Oh I am going to try this and adapt it to be low-carb using stevia. I might just settle on making it Gaps friendly and try to use honey. Great post, AM, and, as Kelly said, lovely pictures!
Carrie
The Thrifty Oreganic’s last blog post..Jennie’s Macaroons: A Lower-Sugar Version
11/02/2009 at 6:03 am Permalink
Thank you Kelly! I’m going on vacation tomorrow (woo!) so maybe time away and different grocery stores will also give me some ideas.
Soli’s last blog post..Plotting
11/02/2009 at 6:27 am Permalink
I love pots de chocolat! How would you make a non-chocolate version? I’m assuming I would add butter instead of chocolate to get the fat content right. I can’t have chocolate in the evenings because I’m sensitive to the caffeine. I won’t sleep after. ><
Spinner’s last blog post..On a lighter note
11/02/2009 at 7:14 am Permalink
oooo la la! merci boucoup!
11/02/2009 at 8:50 am Permalink
Hi Spinner
Here’s a good looking recipe for butterscotch pots de creme over at Orangette:
http://orangette.blogspot.com/2008/01/pots-of-gold.html
She uses the natural sweetener, muscovado. This is a nutrient-dense, unrefined, traditional sweetener.
I don’t know much about demerara (which she is also using) but I don’t think it’s as good of a choice as rapadrua/sucanat.
Look at this NEAT chart I found (scroll down to the bottom) on HOW SUGARS COMPARE:
http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/mccaffrey/vpost?id=2200607
Look at all those vitamins and minerals in rapadura and sucanat!
This person also says, “I do not have a nutritional analysis for demerara and turbinado, but I am guessing they would fall somewhere between the Sugar in the Raw and the Evap Cane Juice.”
I think Orangette’s custard is most likely very delicious. I would use the muscavaod but I would use rapadura or sucanat instead of the demerara.
11/02/2009 at 8:56 am Permalink
Hi, Soli!
I’m planning a post on how I pack lunches for my (almost) 2-year-old who goes to daycare during the week.
Don’t get the wrong idea — it’s not all “toddler food”. She eats what we eat. And her lunches are probably better than most adult’s lunches!
For example today she went to school with two thermoses — one was full of soaked oatmeal with grass-fed butter, cream and maple syrup. The other had rice cooked in lobster and chicken stock with black beans topped with corn, tomato, and avocado.
I’ll post how I do her packed lunches and what brand of Thermos I use. I heat it up on the stove in the morning (takes 10 mins) and stays warm until lunchtime.
I could probably also do a post on healthy portable lunch ideas. Do you have any dietary restrictions? I mean can you eat wheat and dairy?
11/02/2009 at 9:00 am Permalink
Ann Marie, thank you!!! That would be wonderful to see. I’m also drooling over the rice cooked in stocks, good thing I am going to eat shortly.
My only personal dietary restriction is that I can’t eat a large amount of some tree nuts; it can trigger my asthma. Otherwise, I am blessed with no food allergies. (just an aversion to anything overly processed, which is why we’re all here anyway.)
Soli’s last blog post..Plotting
11/02/2009 at 9:21 am Permalink
Hi, Soli,
I have tons of ideas for lunch… maybe I’ll do a 101 list! (101 ideas for healthy lunches).
12/02/2009 at 9:17 pm Permalink
Oh I am excited about the lunch list (we can’t have dairy or gluten, so I hope you include some ideas for us too!!)
I would also love to know your recipe for those seared ahi tacos. Also, if it is not too much to ask, would it be possible for you, when you list your menus, for newbies like me, to list what book you are getting the recipe from? I like how you link to some of them, but I know some are from books or your creation and you are unable to do that.
THANKS!!!
Paula’s last blog post..Saturday Sweethearts: Sayings to go with Gifts
15/02/2009 at 9:31 am Permalink
Your pots de creme look yummy! I bet with the grass fed cream they are out of this world. I’m so jealous of you having access to a good source for those! Pots de creme also work well with erythritol for those who are low carbing it.
Great website! Love the message!
18/02/2009 at 11:22 am Permalink
These look a bit thick for hot cocoa.
Do you have a healthy hot cocoa recipe?? Thanks! 
Paula’s last blog post..Spiders
18/02/2009 at 5:33 pm Permalink
I’ve got one! (I know Ann Marie doesn’t mind if I leave a link here…)
http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2008/12/organic-homemade-hot-cocoa-recipe.html
Kelly the Kitchen Kop’s last blog post..SHARE YOUR HEALTHY COCONUT RECIPES on Real Food Wednesday
13/01/2010 at 12:13 pm Permalink
I was wondering what could be substituted for the egg yolks. My two-and-a-half-year-old son and I are unable to consume eggs in any form at this time, but I would love for the both of us to have some sweet pudding. It seems that so many brands use cornstarch or wheat-derived products (two more no-nos for us!). I would greatly appreciate any tips. Could I just adjust the milk ratio???
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the blog!!! I’ve referred three people and they all LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the blog as well.
AnnMarie
Detroit, MI