Updated Dark Chocolate Pot de Creme

One week after taking the Midnight in Paris class, I decided to make the dessert at home, using my Valentine’s Day gift.  I wanted to give this a try on my own — as in class, we split the tasks between 4 people. I had never made anything like this before and was quite excited to see if I could bake something as elaborate as this.  Yes, I know this is a very easy recipe, but I am far from a baker.

I followed the recipe from the Chopping Block almost exactly. I opted to use two teaspoons of vanilla extract in lieu of the half a vanilla bean.  I also used 70% cocoa from Ghiradelli – I’m not sure what chocolate was used in class, but the 70% seemed a bit more rich and flavorful than the semi-sweet we used the week prior.

Almost every thing I read about substituting vanilla extract for vanilla beans said you had to remove as many teaspoons of liquid as you are adding — to keep the balance. I didn’t do that. I figured since this is a custard, it wouldn’t really matter.  It didn’t.

The recipe indicated we’d bake these for 25-30 minutes — after 30 minutes the Pot de Creme were completely liquid still.  I kept it in the over for 5 more minutes…then 5 more…then 5 more. I cooked these things for 45 minutes then pulled them out. They were firm yet jiggly.  I was afraid I over cooked them, but I really don’t think 30 minutes was enough for me.

My mother says I have a “slow” oven.  Not sure how she would know, since she never cooks..but in this case it appears she is right.  I think this is another reason I don’t like to bake — I’m afraid I’m going to over cook or undercook because the timing is a bit off.  Just another level of stress.

All in all this recipe was absolutely fantastic.  The dark chocolate was perfectly rich.  The texture was creamy with just a bit of chocolate flake scattered throughout adding to the richness.  This recipe makes 4 servings, but the creme brulee ramekins were a bit smaller so I made 6.5 servings — which I think were perfectly sized for the richness.

And yes — I did make homemade whipped cream (heaping teaspoon of powdered sugar and an 1/8 cup of whipping cream — beat with a wire whisk until just perfect).

Does baking give you a lot of angst too? Have you been successful is altering a fantastic recipe offered by someone else into something your own? Do you have a problem with having half a dozen amazing desserts in your refrigerator — are you like me and just want to sit down and eat them all at once?