Newsletter Sign-Up
Sign up to get Another Delicious Bite from allchocolate.com, our newsletter offering the latest chocolate news, cooking tips and more.
*error - incorrect email format.
Thank You!
you are now signed up for our newsletter. Look forward to getting Another Delicious Bite from allchocolate.com in your inbox soon.
Chef/Owner, Alison at Blue Bell
When Chef Alison Barshak opened Alison at Blue Bell, a sophisticated suburban Philadelphia bistro in May 2003. she met with almost immediate success. The Philadelphia Inquirer gave her a hard-to-come-by "excellent" rating and Philadelphia Magazine named it the "Best New Suburban Restaurant"
She prepares contemporary American cuisine with Mediterranean, Southwestern and Asian influences. The restaurant has drawn notice from such national publications as the Wall Street Journal, Wine Spectator and Food and Wine. Barshak herself has been has been featured in PBS' "Rising Star Chef" series and been covered in publications like the New York Times, USA Today, Bon Appetit, Gourmet and Travel & Leisure. Soon she will be opening the aptly-named Alison Two.
Chocolate Chile Espresso Pot De Crème with Whipped Cream and Dulce de Leche
This recipe marries the classic Mexican combination of chilies and chocolate with the classic French dessert.
Ingredients
- 2-1/4 cups Light cream
- 4-1/2 oz. SCHARFFEN BERGER 62% Semisweet Chocolate, in small pieces
- 2 Tbsp Granulated sugar
- pinch Salt
- 2 Ancho or Pasilla chile peppers, seeds and ribs removed
- 6 Egg yolks from large eggs
- 1/2 Tbsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Instant espresso powder
- 6 4 oz ramekins
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Set an oven rack so that it is just below the center of the oven. Put a pot of water on to boil.
Melt the chocolate and about one quarter of the cream in a microwave for about 1-2 minutes, until most, but not all, of the chocolate is melted. Remove from the microwave. Stir until completely smooth. Add the sugar and salt and stir to mix. Set aside.
Place the remaining cream and the chiles, each cut into 3 or 4 pieces, in a heavy pot and scald the cream. Remove from the heat, stir the chocolate mixture into the cream, and let the mixture steep for 30 minutes.
While the chocolate/cream mixture is steeping, beat the eggs yolks until light and thick and they form a ribbon when a spatula is removed.
When the cream has finished steeping, gently reheat it and ladle about one-fourth of it into the egg yolks, stirring constantly with a whisk. Then pour all of the yolk mixture into the pot with the remaining chocolate/cream mixture, whisking constantly until smooth. Stir with a heatproof spatula over low heat for three minutes. Add the vanilla and espresso powder, stirring until the espresso is dissolved.
Prepare a water bath to cook the custards. Place the ramekins into a pan large enough to hold all of them. Carefully pour in enough boiling water so it comes halfway up the ramekins' sides. Now you know how much water you need. Remove the ramekins but leave the pan with the water in the oven.
Strain the custard and fill the ramekins (a measuring cup with a spout works well). Now place the ramekins back in the pan in the oven. Cover the baking pan tightly with a large piece of foil and pierce it in several places with a fork. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. When the pot de crèmes are done there will be a dark ring around the inside edges and the center will still be slightly soft when jiggled. Do not over bake. The centers will firm up and the custard will darken as it cools.