A dessert to make your cocoa pop
A Pinch of Salt
By Donna Marie Riani
Oregon’s bean-to-bar chocolate craftsmanship is pretty impressive. We might not be as famous as Switzerland in the chocolate world, but we certainly have made a name for ourselves. Oregon has been crafting chocolate commercially since the 1930s and is gaining quite a reputation for high-quality, creative products and also garnering some much-deserved attention for all the amazing local ingredients that are mixed into the chocolate, like berries, hazelnuts and wines.
We know that chocolate is delicious but the way it can make us feel is amazing, not just emotionally but also physically. Have you noticed that often when you eat chocolate you feel relaxed and happy? Well, that is no coincidence. Chocolate triggers the release of dopamine, serotonin and tryptophan and these boost our mood. It also contains theobromine and caffeine, which provides a burst of energy and, last but not least, it contains a molecule called anandamide which is known as the bliss molecule — and who doesn’t want more bliss in their lives? All of these molecules together can mimic the feelings of love.
Speaking of love, my love for chocolate knows no bounds and I have been in a passionate, long-standing love affair with it my whole life. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it felt appropriate to write about chocolate. After all, Valentines Day is the day of love. When we present someone with chocolate, whether in the form of a bar, a truffle or a baked good, we are showing them that we care and when we take the time to make something, that is the ultimate thoughtful gesture.
When I was a child there was something that felt special about cool and creamy chocolate pudding. This week’s recipe is for Chocolate Pots De Crème, which is a more sophisticated version of my childhood favorite treat. This is definitely richer than pudding as it contains heavy cream and is thickened with egg yolks. For a recipe like this you should use your favorite Oregon chocolate. If you use milk chocolate, it will definitely be on the sweeter side, but if you go with a semi-sweet chocolate, it will straddle the line between sweet and slightly bitter, which makes for a more complex flavor. Either way, it will be delicious.
Valentine’s Day is not just about romantic love, it is about the love we have for our friends and family. Whether you celebrate Valentine’s, Galentine's or my favorite, Palentine’s Day, this dessert presented to someone in a ramekin or a tea cup is a sweet way to show you care and a sure way to their heart.
Chocolate Pots De Crème
6 ounces of your favorite Oregon chocolate bar, finely chopped
2 cups heavy cream
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Place your finely chopped chocolate bar into a heat proof mixing bowl. Set aside.
Place the cream, egg yolks, sugar and salt in a heavy-bottomed pot. Whisk to combine everything. Place over medium-low heat and stir constantly with a heat-resistant spatula. The mixture should start to bubble a little but do not allow it to boil. Continue to stir, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot continually. Cook until the mixture starts to thicken, about six to seven minutes. If it can coat the back of the spatula, then it’s thick enough.
Pour this hot mixture over the chopped chocolate. Allow it to sit for about two minutes to allow the chocolate to melt. After two minutes, switch back to the whisk and whisk the chocolate into the cream mixture.
Add the vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
If you see small lumps in the mixture and fear that you didn’t stir it enough when it was over the heat, this is easily remedied by pressing the mixture through a fine mesh sieve.
Pour the mixture into six small ramekins or teacups.
At this point you have a choice to make. Do you want pudding skin or not? If not, then place small rounds of parchment paper directly on the surface of the pots de crème mixture. If you don’t mind the skin, then you can loosely place a sheet of parchment over all the ramekins to cover them while they are in the fridge.
Place the ramekins into the refrigerator to chill. They should chill for at least six hours but overnight is better. It’s the chilling time that really thickens them.
You can serve them as they are or you can top them with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or serve them with fresh berries.