Lemon Thyme and Ginger

Chocolate Nutella Pots de Creme

Chocolate Nutella Pots de Creme, a recipe.

A song fills the room interrupting the gentle quiet of thoughtful work. “Love and happiness….. Yeahhhhh.  Something, make you want to do wrong.  Make you do right.  Yeahhhhhh.   Loooooooovvvee……” Spurred on by the anticipated snap, snap, snap, snap of the drum sticks, I am energized from Al Green’s soulful voice and welcome the interruption. The song and my mood are no longer still and quiet. Al Green serenades me as I work and invites me to sing aloud and dance. He is generous that way and knows how to get the romantic heart pumping.

Chocolate Nutella Pots de Creme, a recipe.

Chocolate Nutella Pots de Creme, a recipe.

I’m empowered at the stove. With a wooden spoon in hand, I stir, sway and sing “Love and Happiness,” while creating a love song of my own with dark chocolate and Nutella. The name of my love song is, Chocolate Nutella Pots de Creme, a silky custard that could easily give Al Green some competition. This chocolate dessert has the right notes to create a sensual melody. A silky-smooth custard set the base notes while deep dark chocolate and Nutella establish a soulful rhythm. Sriracha punctuates with syncopated upbeats, downbeats and heartbeats.  A final touch of flaky sea salt ties it all together like the last ting from a symbol at the end of a song.  A soulful love melody.

Chocolate Nutella Pots de Creme, a recipe

I first discovered this recipe a few years ago while watching, The Best Thing I Ever Made: Chocoholics on Food Network.  Aarti Sequeira created Chocolate Hazelnut Pots de Crème and she is absolutely right on claiming it is the best thing she ate. Lucky for me I stumbled upon this episode, because Chocolate Nutella Pots de Crème is not just the best chocolate dessert, it could be one of the best things I have ever had, period. It tops the charts in all categories. A swoon worthy chocolate hazelnut love song I sing again and again. “Yeeahhhh..”

Chocolate Nutella Pots de Creme, a recipe.

 Chocolate Nutella Pots de Creme, a recipe.

Clues for Success making Chocolate Nutella Pots de Crème

  • The only challenging part is getting the custard cooked to just the right consistency and temperature without scrambling the eggs. This is accomplished by slowly cooking the custard over medium heat and stirring constantly. Keep stirring as it prevents the custard and egg yolks from sticking to the pan and solidifying.
  • The finished custard will have the consistency of thick paint. It will coat the back of a wooden spoon in an even layer. Swipe your finger across the back of the custard covered spoon. If the edges of the line run and drip down, it needs more time to cook. The custard is done when the line stays intact and the custard is thick. The temperature for the finished custard will be between 175°F and 180°F. Above 185°F the eggs will scramble.
  • Often, my custard reaches 175°F but is not thick enough. Keep stirring and control the heat by turning down the heat or take the pan off the heat for a minute then place it back on the heat. Keep stirring.
  • Trust your judgement.
  • Once assembled and in placed in the refrigerator, give Chocolate Nutella Pots de Creme enough time to set, at least four hours. When set, it should have the consistency of pudding.

Chocolate Nutella Pots de Creme, a recipe.

Chocolate Nutella Pots de Creme, a recipe.

If you are not a chocolate fan but still want an elegant dessert try Peaches and Berries layered with Bourbon Sabayon and substitute the peaches with seasonal fruit. Or, make the light and airy Lemon Mousse. Another winner is Lemon Pavlova with Kiwi and Passion Fruit Sauce.

For Your Listening Pleasure

Here is a link to my unfinished play list of love songs on Spotify. It is an eclectic list of music, with an R & B foundation. Enjoy it while you are creating Chocolate Nutella Pots de Creme or a love song of your own creation. Yeahhhh! Love is….. Making dessert for someone.

What is your favorite Love Song? Let me know in the comments section below.

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Chocolate Nutella Pots de Creme

Chocolate Nutella Pots de Crème could be one of the best things I have ever eaten. The custard is so smooth it is delightfully sensuous. All the flavors make the perfect blend with the just the right amount of spice to jazz things up. Serve in glasses, espresso cups, small coffee cups, or ramekins. Recipe is from Aarti Sequeira, Food Network .
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 25 minutes
Servings 6 - 1 cup servings
Author Ginger

Ingredients

  • 1 cup 10.5 oz / 303 g Nutella, or another chocolate-hazelnut spread
  • 3.5 oz 100 g dark chocolate (70 percent) chopped
  • 1 ½ cups 375 ml whole milk
  • 1 cup 250 ml heavy cream
  • ¼ cup 2 oz / 54 g granulated sugar
  • ¾ tsp Kosher salt
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 1- 2 tsp Sriracha sauce 2 tsp if you like it spicy hot
  • ½ tsp instant espresso powder
  • ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

For Garnishes

  • Lightly sweetened whipped cream or crème fraiche
  • Cocoa powder for dusting
  • Minced hazelnuts for garnishing
  • Flaky sea salt I like Maldon

Instructions

  1. Spoon the Nutella into a medium mixing bowl (or the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade), then add the chopped dark chocolate. Set aside.
  2. Add milk, heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar and Kosher salt to a medium size nonreactive saucepan. Turn the heat up to medium temperature. Briefly whisk together the ingredients. Switch out the whisk with a wooden spoon and cook the custard stirring constantly, scraping along the bottom and crevices of the saucepan to make sure the custard does not stick or burn. After the custard has cooked for a while, about 8-10 minutes, you will notice the custard beginning to get thicker. This is an indication your custard is getting finished.
  3. Look for these three clues that indicate the custard is done cooking; first, dip your wooden spoon into the custard to coat the spoon then run your finger across the back of the spoon to paint a line. Hold the spoon sideways, if the line edges stay intact, not runny, then the custard is ready. Second, the temperature of the custard should register between 175˚F and 180˚F (79°C - 82°C). Above 185˚F (85°C) the eggs will start to scramble. Third, the custard will look thicker, almost as thick as good quality house paint. Depending on the temperature of your stove, the cooking time should take between 10-15 minutes.
  4. When the custard is done, turn off the heat and pour the custard through a fine mesh strainer into the bowl with the chocolate and Nutella. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, organize 6 -8 oz (250 ml) serving glasses, ramekins, or small coffee mugs on a rimmed baking sheet.
  6. Thoroughly stir, or process in your food processor, the custard and chocolate until the chocolate is all melted and thoroughly mixed together. Then add the instant coffee, sriracha, and vanilla extract and stir again double checking the chocolate is melted and the custard is well mixed.
  7. Pour the chocolate into a container with a spout then pour the chocolate custard into serving dishes. Tap each glass against the countertop to remove any air bubbles in the chocolate pots de crème.
  8. Place the pots de creme in the refrigerator and chill until the custard is just chilled, about one hour. Once the pots de creme are cooled, cover each serving dish lightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 4 hours or overnight.
  9. Serve chilled and garnish each serving with whipped cream or crème fraiche, sprinkled coco powder, sea salt and chopped hazelnuts.
Chocolate Nutella Pots de Creme recipe. The best chocolate dessert ever.

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