These delicious dark chocolate pots de crème are so easy to make. They are creamy and decadent, flavoured with tahini and sesame seeds. Find out how to make them.
I baked these pots de crème, adapted from Aran Goyoaga's gorgeous new book. I could spend hours just looking at her book (or at her blog for that matter).
Ingredients
- dairy—I used a combination of whipping cream (35 % fat) and whole milk (3.25 % fat) to create a decadent chocolate dessert
- eggs—you can make pots de crème with whole eggs or egg yolks. I prefer to use large egg yolks, yielding a more decadent chocolate custard
- sugar—I used granulated sugar because it doesn't add taste that could interfere with the flavour of the chocolate or the sesame
- tahini— remember tahini is pure sesame butter, made from ground sesame seeds
- dark chocolate—I used Ocoa, a 70 % dark chocolate from the brand Cacao Barry
- garnish—I like to decorate these with toasted sesame seeds and sesame snaps to enhance the flavour of the tahini
Please see the recipe card for the ingredients and exact quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Peanut butter: The original recipe was made with hazelnut butter, but I'm allergic to hazelnuts. I substituted it with sesame butter. Instead of tahini, you could use hazelnut butter, natural peanut butter or even almond butter.
- Non-dairy pots de crème: I have tested this recipe with coconut milk in place of the cream and milk. You want to end up with around 15 % fat (whether using dairy or non-dairy substitutes).
- Chocolate: Use good quality dark chocolate, but this recipe will also work with milk or white chocolate.
- Sugar: I used granulated sugar so the flavour won't interfere, but you could also consider something like coconut sugar
- Garnishes: I lazily topped these with sesame seeds, but I think a better option would be lightly sweetened whipped cream along with the sesame seeds.
How to Make Pots de Crème
There are two ways of making chocolate pots de crème:
- Cooked on the stove: making a crème anglaise (custard sauce) cooked on the stove to thicken it, then melting the chopped chocolate in the custard sauce before transferring to jars to chill.
- Baked in the oven: essentially making a chocolate ganash with the hot cream and chopped chocolate, then adding the egg yolks before transferring to ramekins to bake the pots de crème in a bain-marie in the oven.
Other Pots de Crème to Try
If you enjoy pots de crème, try them with other types of chocolate, like white chocolate pots de crème or milk chocolate pots de crème. You can flavour white chocolate pots de crème with orange, lime, or lemon zest. You can garnish the milk chocolate pots de crème with toasted vanilla marshmallows and graham cracker crumbs like s'mores!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Sesame Pots de Crème
Ingredients
- 250 mL whipping cream (35 % fat)
- 250 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)
- 5 large egg yolk(s)
- 50 grams granulated sugar
- 30 mL tahini (sesame butter)
- 175 grams 70 % dark chocolate chopped
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165 °C).
- In a medium saucepan, combine the cream and milk and stir over medium heat until it simmers.
- Meanwhiile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and tahini (try to whisk out the lumps).
- Place the chocolate in a separate bowl
- When the milk mixture is steamy, pour the hot milk over the chocolate. Let it sit 1 minute, then whisk it slowly until the chocolate is melted and the ganache is smooth, then pour this mixture over the whisked egg mixture to temper them.
- Strain the mixture into a large, 4-cup (1 L) measuring cup or a bowl with a spout preferably. Then divide the chocolate custard between 5–6 ramekins.
- Place the ramekins in a deep roasting pan and fill the pan with hot water so that it reaches at least halfway up the ramekins.
- Bake the custards for 40 minutes or until the centers are completely set. Cool to room temperature, then chill before serving. Topped with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
- For the milk chocolate, I used Cacao Barry Alunga 41 % milk chocolate.
Nutrition
Disclosure: I was provided with a free copy of Small Plates Sweet Treats to review, but my opinions in this post are my own.
Medeja says
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Melissa@EyesBigger says
I too went out on my own with nobody but me to pay my bills and it's terrifying. But the flips side is, you don't have kids or anyone but you to support. It's scary no matter what. It's good to think and plan (and very necessary) but at some point you have to have faith in the unknown and leap. Things have a way of falling where they need to.