Chocolate and port ‘pots de creme'
- 4 Servings
- 40mPrep Time
- 20mCook Time
- 60mReady In
The word pudding refers to a variety of sweet and savory foods, from dense, cake-like. boiled flour concoctions to custards to kugels and other casseroles to mixtures of rice, tapioca, cornmeal or bread to popovers to sausages. In Great Britain, pudding just means any kind of dessert.
Ingredients
Pudding: 1/2 cup port 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cinnamon stick 1/2 pound dark chocolate, chopped 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1/2 cup milk 3/4 cup whipping cream 2 egg yolks Port cream: 1/4 cup port 1/2 cup sour cream 1/4 teaspoon powdered sugar (or to taste) Black peppercorn wafers 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 egg 3/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepperDirections
Make the pudding:
- In a saucepan, simmer the port with the sugar and cinnamon stick until reduced by 2/3 and let cool.
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and butter together over barely simmering water in a double boiler.
- In another saucepan, combine the cream and milk, bring to simmering.
- Remove from the heat.
- Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and add the port syrup.
- Whisk a little of this mixture into the egg yolks to temper them and then slowly add the yolks to the chocolate mixture.
- Whisk in the cream mixture.
- Pour into serving glasses and chill in refrigerator overnight.
Make the port cream:
- In a saucepan, simmer the port until reduced by 2/3 and let cool.
- Whisk into sour cream and sugar and refrigerate.
- When ready to serve, top serving glasses filled with chocolate with a dollop of port-sour cream mixture and garnish with black peppercorn wafers (recipe follows).
Black peppercorn wafers
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- With an electric mixer, beat all ingredients together.
- Roll out the dough into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle.
- Cut into strips about 1 inch thick and 3 inches long.
- Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly golden.
- Let cool on wire racks. 8 to 10 cookies.
