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.
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.
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.
My name is Beth, Elizabeth Evelyn to be exact. A native Tennessean, I was born in the South.
I am the author behind Local Milk Blog.
