From Nigel's Kitchen Table

Autumn & Winter · Desserts & Puddings · Spring & Summer

Cherry Chocolate Pots De Crème

Recipe by Nigel Clease Kitchen-tested

Autumn & Winter 5 min read

Rich chocolate pots de crème with sweet-tart cherries, made from a short list of simple ingredients.

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Dive into these luscious, rich cherry chocolate pots de crème, irresistibly delicious and made from the simplest ingredients.

Enjoy these chocolatey custard cream pots warm or let them cool to room temperature and serve them as they are or with a little whipped cream and chocolate shavings. And, if you are making them for a dinner party, serve them with my cinnamon biscuits, there is something about a spicy crisp biscuit with the creamy chocolate custard that is just magical.

RECIPE HIGHLIGHTS

EASE: Easy.
TASTE: A rich chocolate custard cream.
TEXTURE: Creamy smooth rich dessert
QUANTITY: 6 pots
TIME: 40 minutes.

Cherry Chocolate Pots De Crème – preparation step 1

Cherry Chocolate Pots De Crème – preparation step 5

INGREDIENTS

For this cherry chocolate pots de crème recipe, all you need are these 7 ingredients:

Double or heavy cream – creates that creaminess in every pot.

Whole milk – makes these rich chocolatey pots that little bit lighter, so you can enjoy more.

Dark or milk chocolate bar – choose good quality chocolate for that beautiful deep chocolate flavour.

Chocolate recommendations: bars – Lindt Excellence dark 70% bar 100g, Montezuma’s darkside 51% bar 90g, Menier dark cooking chocolate 100g, Green and Black’s Organic dark Chocolate 100g, 1kg bags – Callebaut dark chocolate, Callebaut milk chocolate, Callebaut white chocolate.

Egg yolks – create creaminess and set the custard. Make sure they are at room temperature before use.

Caster or granulated white sugar – adds a little sweetness to the dark chocolate. If you are using milk chocolate, I would not add any sugar.

Nigel Recommends

The Vanilla I Recommend

I recommend Taylor & Colledge vanilla products because they add a delicious depth of flavour while enhancing the other ingredients in the recipe. Choose from pure vanilla extract, vanilla paste or vanilla pods, depending on the recipe and the intensity of flavour you prefer.

VIEW THE VANILLA I RECOMMEND

Cherry liquor – goes so well with chocolate and this little splash makes these pots extra special.

Salt – Dont forget the salt – I highly recommend adding a generous pinch of salt to your desserts. Salt helps balance sweetness and richness while enhancing the other ingredients and bringing out the best flavours in the recipe. Although it may seem contradictory, a small amount of salt can also make sweet foods taste sweeter. Sodium can influence the way our taste receptors respond to sugars, helping us perceive sweetness more clearly. The key is to add just enough to enhance the flavours without making the dessert taste salty.The result is that salt not only alerts our ‘salt sensitivity’, but also our ‘sweet sensitive’ taste buds.

I recommend Maldon Sea salt flakes or Cornish sea salt.

WHAT VARIATIONS CAN I MAKE?

Quality chocolate – is the hero in this recipe so choose wisely. You can also use flavoured chocolates.

Flavour recommendations: Lindt Excellence dark orange or Raspberry chocolate bar

Coffee – is another great flavour to add. Mix 1 tablespoon of coffee powder with 2 tbsp hot water until dissolved and stir into the chocolate once melted.

For a spicy version – try adding a pinch of chilli powder to the eggs.

Nutty versions – are also easy, just add two tablespoons of peanut butter or any other nut butter.

Enjoy them as they are – or try adding a dollop of whipped cream, chocolate shavings or making a little ganache. Heat 200g cream until it starts to come to a boil then pour it onto 120g chopped chocolate. Stir the chocolate until it is smooth and silky, then pour it onto your cooled pots de crème.

Nutrition

Serving: one pot

398.49 kcal

CALORIES · 20% DV

32.57 g

TOTAL FAT · 47% DV

17.9 g

CARBOHYDRATES · 7% DV

13.65 g

SUGARS · 15% DV

3.16 g

PROTEIN · 6% DV

48.2 mg

SODIUM · 2% DV

1.33 g

FIBRE · 5% DV

% Daily Values based on a 2,000-calorie diet

Nutrition information is provided as an estimate and may vary depending on the ingredients and portion size used.

STORAGE AND FREEZING OPTIONS

The baked custards will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. They are best served at room temperature.

Freezing – is not advised for this dessert.

Cherry Chocolate Pots De Crème – preparation step 2

Cherry Chocolate Pots De Crème – preparation step 3

EQUIPMENT SUGGESTIONS

Milk Saucepan – 1 Litre With Double Sided Pouring Lips -This small pan is a great size for boiling small amounts of liquids and it has pouring lips built into the rim of the saucepan which makes it easy to use.

Non-Stick Brownie Pan, 29.4 x 19.1 x 4 cm, Professional Gauge Carbon Steel with Eclipse Premium Non-Stick Coating

Ideal pan for tray bakes, brownies and flapjacks.

White Porcelain Ramekins, 175ML Baking Cups – Durable Pack of 6

I love these for serving hot and cold individual desserts – soufflés, creme brûlée, lava cakes, custards, puddings and ice cream.

RECIPE TIPS

Choose a high-quality dark chocolate – (70% is ideal). These chocolate pots don’t have many ingredients, so a good quality chocolate will make all the difference.

The best serving vessel – is one that is oven safe. I used porcelain and glass ramekins, but glass petits pots are also great.

Baking the pots in a water bath is essential to creating that signature texture – If you’re afraid of spilling water everywhere when transferring the baking dish to the oven, simply put the pots into the baking dish and transfer it to the oven before finally filling it with water.