Chocolate Whisky Caramel Pots de Creme + Blog Anniversary!

Dark chocolate, coffee and whisky come together in this chocolate whisky caramel pots de crème, guaranteed to satisfy the most intense chocolate cravings!

May 22, 2016, I put up my first blog post – it was more a mini thesis on pound cakes. The simple, basic, humble pound cake so fascinated me. It was the perfect beginning to my baking journey. I was so green and so obsessed with the idea of starting at the very beginning. Getting my foundations right.

Ahem… all that went out of the window after a couple of wins in the oven! Soon my experiments were dictated by my cravings and whims rather than the structured list I had set out at the start which involved tackling one baking basic after another.

There are no regrets. I am sure that most bloggers struggle at the start to find their true niche, their area of expertise. It is a journey of evolution, we grow with it, we learn new things, discover new paths and new interests along the way. By the time we have been blogging for a year or maybe even two, we may have found something we know from the bottom of our tummies that we want to stick with. Or maybe not. Maybe we love the journey and the freshness and want to keep hitting the refresh button.

This post is coming a bit late, but the blogiversary totally snuck up on me last week like a eureka moment. I was like – whoaaaa I don’t have fancy pants cake to celebrate it with. But I didn’t make a cake, because I had to make chocolatey pots de crème which was something I was dreaming about the last 10 days of the diet since I saw it here.

It was the first thing on my list of things to eat as soon as the diet got over, but a storm of family events hit us so hard, I had to put it on hold. Then this week I made it twice!! Luckily, I have teenagers (niece and nephew) staying with us for a few days who can eat all sorts of dessert in a matter of seconds and then still be hungry and never put on weight (oh god, why didn’t I take advantage of this in my teens!!)

I thought this was quite the adult dessert, with all my fav things – dark chocolate (70%) + coffee + whisky + caramel. I like my caramel slightly bitter so I push the caramelization a bit further before adding the cream. So adult! However, I was surprised when it was a huge hit with the teens. All of it has disappeared and I also managed to get some pics. Soooo delighted!

While researching pots de crème, I got lost in the world of puddings – Italian, French, American! sabayon, budinos, mousse, pudding, pots de crème! Because all over the world, people dream about indulging in chocolatey, creamy goodness and find the best possible way to make their dreams come true! Haaa. Egg yolks and sugar are the basic components in all of them. They are dense and rich and have intense flavor. Without going into long thesis about these foreign sounding puddings, this is how I would differentiate them –

Pots de crème – French custard – was served in porcelain cups – typically baked in water bath
Budino – Italian – intense and filling – includes rice / semolina / ricotta or cake flour
Sabayon – Italian with French name! – basically tiramisu custard without the ladyfingers and coffee

American pudding is not included in this list because it is not really a yolk based custard. It is milk and sugar, thickened with cornstarch. Mousse is also not included here, because it is a much lighter consistency that is achieved by the addition of egg whites to give it a lift.

So, technically, this is not a pots de crème, because it is not baked. It is an adaptation! But I love to say pots de crème just like I love to say beurre noissette! What I love about this, is that it is so easy to make and super quick too. So much deliciousness packed in without much effort. There is patience required while it sets but if you are like me, you might simply drink up the first pour!

Notes

• Use a chocolate that you love to nibble on, because the chocolate flavor really shines through.
• If you live in a country where you actually get heavy cream, use ¾ cup + ¼ cup milk
• I also made this with coconut milk instead of cream, it tastes as good but did not set as well as the cream version. However, it sets enough to hold the caramel on top of it.
• I prefer my desserts less sweet, so feel free to add an additional tbsp. of sugar if you prefer more sweet

Chocolate Whisky Caramel Pots de Creme

Ingredients – Makes 4 respectable portions
3.5oz (100g) semi sweet chocolate – chopped
1 cup whipping cream
2 egg yolks
4tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
½ tbsp espresso powder

Whisky Caramel  – ½ cup

1tbsp grated white chocolate (garnish)

Directions
Melt the chocolate in a medium glass or metal bowl over simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Add the cream, once the chocolate is almost melted. Whisk till smooth. Remove from heat. Let cool for 2 minutes. (let water simmer as we will get back to it in the next step)

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a small bowl. Add ¼ of the melted chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and mix. Add it back into the bowl with the melted chocolate and set it back on the simmering water.

Keep whisking constantly for 3 – 4 minutes. Pour into small glasses or ramekins. Make sure to leave about ½ cm for the caramel sauce.

Refrigerate for 4 – 5 hours or overnight. Once set, pour room temperature caramel over the pudding. Sprinkle some grated white chocolate. Eat.

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