Chocolate pieces + hot cream +whisking +1 egg + chilling time = chocolate pots
This pudding looks fancy. I think the little individual pots give off some kind of aura. Over the years I’ve begun a collection of likely looking vessels, ranging from plain white ramekins to ones in the shape of Chinese take-out boxes and some, cast in porcelain that I bought on my honeymoon in Paris, that look like crushed paper cups. You could serve the rich creamy chocolate in tea cups, or shot glasses, or egg cups, or even large soy sauce dipping bowls – let your own aesthetic lead you.
The texture is creamy and silky smooth. Chocolate lovers have been known to lick their ramekins. It’s that good. As it should be, since all it is basically is chocolate and cream.
Because it’s so simple the chocolate is the most important factor in how the pudding tastes. Buy something delicious, with a high coco content (70 is good, higher than that and the chocolate starts to get a little dry tasting). And just as the quality of the chocolate can alter the character of the pudding, so the flavor of the chocolate can really ring the changes. Once you get the hang of it, don’t be afraid to experiment.
They do have raw egg in them. Don’t serve them to pregnant women, and make sure you buy eggs that you can trust, they need to be fresh and organic.
Here’s what we’re going to do;
- Break up two bars of chocolate.
- Heat ¾ cup of heavy cream (double or whipping cream if you’re British) and ¼ cup of milk until it’s just about to boil
- Pour the cream over the chocolate, count to 20 (elephants or Mississippis, your choice) then whisk to melt the chocolate into the liquid.
- Crack in an egg and whisk again.
- Pour into pots and chill in the fridge.
And if you can make that, you can make this: