QUICK & SIMPLE | SHERRY CHOCOLATE POT DE CREME

The past few years my focus as a cook has shifted, settled. I’m most interested in recipes that are viable for everyday home cooks with full lives—that’s the sort of recipe my cookbook will be full of. Sure, it’s fun to turn out something that takes all the pots in your kitchen and a week to prepare every now and again (or is it?), but as a working woman and now a working mother, the reality of how few hours there are in a day is one I’m intimately acquainted with. This dessert is the best of all the worlds: few ingredients, 10 minute prep, and shockingly wonderful. It’s just pure magic, and it’s definitely going to be a fixture on the tables at our retreats and in my home until I make everyone sick of it because I haven’t stopped craving them since I made them.

 
 
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Simply put, this is one of the best desserts I’ve made in a long time. And it’s by far one of the most simple. It’s rich, impossibly creamy, and complex—an addictive show stopper that seems like it took way more effort than it does. If you can stir a pot and turn a blender on, you can make this.
 
Technically, I don’t think this really qualifies as pot de creme. You see similar methods billed as “blender pot de creme” or “quick and easy pot de creme”—and it is all of those things. These involve no baking in a water bath, and as I said, they can be made in about 10 minutes. They have to firm up in the fridge for a few hours (two, ideally three), but that’s it. And they can certainly be made the day before.
 
Really, this is more of a chocolate sabayon than a pot de creme. Or you could just call it chocolate pudding. It reminds me of a refined version of the homemade chocolate pudding my grandmother always had in her fridge—that and slices of shaved ham from the deli were the most coveted snacks in her house when I was a kid.
 

Making it with a mixture of smooth melting Lindt LINDOR milk chocolate truffles and the refined Lindt EXCELLENCE 85% cocoa bar takes them over the top—so rich and smooth. The addition of sherry, a bit of black pepper, and sea salt gives them sophistication and complexity without overdoing it with the flavor combinations. You don’t have to put the pepper in, but I think it gives them an element of the delightfully unexpected. This would also be great made with Madeira or a port. But I love the sherry. Especially something on the complex and nutty side of things, like an Oloroso. It would be beautiful with a dry sherry or a sweet sherry, whatever your preference. You could also combine LINDOR white chocolate truffles with Lindt CLASSIC RECIPE white chocolate and use a moscato and pink pepper. The possibilities are endless, and don’t be afraid to play with flavor combinations. This basic ratio & method will yield an amazing texture whatever flavors you choose. But if you aren’t the sort that likes to experiment in the kitchen, trust me on this combo. It’s a winner.

 
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A thank you to our partner Lindt for sponsoring this recipe. As per usual all opinions are my own!

Sherry & chocolate truffle pot de creme

Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Keyword chocolate
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 360 grams 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 120 grams 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 4 tablespoons high quality sweet sherry something drinkable
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 4 ounces Lindt LINDOR milk chocolate truffles smashed
  • 3 oz dark chocolate 85% or higher, chopped
  • creme fraiche lightly whipped (for serving)
  • optional: crushed dried flowers chocolate shavings, and a few flakes of salt for serving

Instructions

  • In a medium sauce pan combine the cream, milk, sherry, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, pepper, and salt. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. Cook until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spatula, 5-7 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, put the chocolate in a blender or vitamix, pulse a few times to further break up the chocolate.
  • Once the mixture is thickened, carefully pour it in a steady steam (I transfer it to a glass pitcher for this for easy pouring) into the top of the mixer with it running on low. Once all of the custard mixture has been added, slightly increase the speed and process until completely blended and smooth. Transfer to cups of your choosing, refrigerate for 2-3 hours until set. Serve with the creme fraiche, a light sprinkle of salt, a few shavings of dark chocolate, and (if you like, for color) a few crushed flower petals like rose or cornflower.
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