Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Coconut and Chocolate Pots de Crème / Pots de Crème au Chocolat et Noix de Coco

Coconut and Chocolat Pots de Creme


I live with a man who loves everything coconut. He would eat a steak tartar if it were sprinkled with toasted coconuts on top. And he hates steak tartar. In facts he hates any kind of meat that is still pink inside or, God forbid, outside.
So when asked about what to make for dessert last Sunday, his answer was obvious. He handed me the big can of coconut cream that my generous friend Christine gave me a couple of weeks ago. This brand of coconut milk is the best I have ever used. It’s thick, creamy, and very fragrant, even after cooking it.

I didn’t want to spend more than half an hour in the kitchen making this dessert. After all, it was Sunday and I am known to be quite lazy on Sundays; and on other days, too. I went to the pantry to see what I had: Bittersweet Chocolate was the first thing that caught my attention. (And my daughter’s attention too, who came running and screaming: “Cocay! Cocay!” this is her way of saying chocolate). Coconut cream, chocolate and some eggs; my choice was obvious as well. Coconut and Chocolate Pots de crème were to be our dessert.

Pots de crème, which refers to both the custard dessert as well as the small-lidded pots this dessert is served in, is traditionally made with a mixture of heavy cream and whole milk. My Coconut cream being so thick and fatty I substitute it for the heavy cream. I wouldn’t recommend using a non-fat or light coconut milk in this recipe, as the fat content is important for this type of custard. I guess you could try using a mixture of light coconut milk instead of the milk and heavy cream, but I don’t guarantee that your texture will be as silky and that you will have the same coconut scented result.

The custard is very easy to prepare. You can make it two days ahead and keep it chilled until ready to serve. The hardest part of the recipe is to wait a whole two hours while the custard is chilling in the fridge. My only advice to you is not to over bake it, as it will continue to set in the fridge.

And what did my coconut lover thought of this dessert? He started scrapping the bottom and the edges of the cup with his spoon. I guess this is the universal language for saying I love it.


Coconut and Chocolat Pot de creme


Chocolate and Coconut Pots de Crème

Recipe: 6 servings
- 2 cups coconut cream (or Milk)
- ½ cup whole milk
- 5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used bittersweet)
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 325F. Bring coconut cream and milk just to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; stir using a wooden spoon until melted and smooth. Whisk yolks and sugar in a large bowl to blend. Gradually stir in, always using a wooden spoon, the hot chocolate mixture. Cool 10 minutes.

Divide custard mixture among eight espresso cups or six custard or soufflé cups. Place the cups in large baking an. Add enough hot water to come halfway up sides of cups. Cover with foil, and bake until custards are set but centers still move slightly when gently shaken, about 30 min if using the espresso cups, 40 minutes for the soufflé cups. Remove foil. Remove from water. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then chill custards until cold, about 2 hours.

These pots de crème can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with a plastic warp and keep chilled.

Pots de Crème au Chocolat et Noix de Coco

In Francais Please: Pour 6
- 500 ml de crème de noix de coco (ou Lait)
- 100ml de lait entier
- 140g de chocolat noir, haché
- 6 gros oeufs
- 20g dee sucre

Préchauffer le four a 160C. Faites frémir la crème de noix de coco et le lait dans une casserole à fond épais. Retirer du feu. Ajouter le chocolat; mélanger avec une cuillere en bois jusqu’à ce qu’il soit fondu et soyeux. Battre les jaunes d’oeufs et le sucre. Peu à peu ajouter le mélange chocolate tout en remuant, toujours avec la cuillere en bois. Laisser refroidir 10 minutes.

Répartir la crème entre huit verres à espreeso ou 6 ramequins. Mettre dans un plat profound allant au four. Ajouter assez d’eau chaude afin d’arriver au milieu des verres ou ramequins. Couvrir de papier alluminium, et faites cuire jusqu’à ce que les pots de crème soient cuits et que le centre bouge un peu lorsqu’on les secoue doucement, environ 30 minutes si vous utilisez des verres à espresso, 40 minutes pour les ramequins. Retirer le papier. Retirer de l’eau. Laisser refroidir sur une grille patissiere environ 15 minutes avant de le mettre au frais au moins 2 heures.

Ces pots de crème peuvent être prepares deux jours avant. Couvrir de film plastique et garder au frais.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

My man HATES anything coconut... so count yourself lucky!

I just might have to make these for myself anyway!

Anonymous said...

I'm sure I'd love it :) I'm a coconut addict as well and this so simple/appetizing petit pot de crème is going to be done very soon in my kitchen :)
thank's Rose :)

creampuff said...

I love coconut, too! Can I come and live with you!!! (And I love these gorgeous pots de creme ...)

Anonymous said...

A true Chocolate and Coconut Pots de Crème lover finds ways to accommodate his passion and make it work with his lifestyle. One key, not just to keeping weight down and staying guilt-free, but also to keeping taste buds sharp (essential for the professionals who evaluate new products as well as judge recipes), Is being discriminating.

Shayne said...

This looks great. I wonder if I could make it vegan with egg substitute foe some friends I have. Can't wait to see you Sunday

aforkfulofspaghetti said...

Mmmmm.... who could resist? I think your man knows a good thing when he sees (or tastes) it... ;)

Claude-Olivier Marti said...

tu sais parler aux gens toi ;-) coco et chocolat, quel joli mariage! biz

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

Look how gorgeous that is -- how could he not love it? In my house I'm the one who seldom eats coconut -- my husband loves it, too, though he'd also happily eat a rare steak!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Warda, my husband won't eat pink meat either. Not even if there's a prize involved. :D
I love coconut and think that it pairs wonderfully with chocolate. These pots look tempting, my friend!

Warda said...

Robin, the recipe can easily be devided in half, which I did by the way because It was for just the two of us. Ooops! Three of us actually, since my twenty months old daughter loved it a lot and ate the biggest part. Wonder where she gets this coconut love from! ;)

- Hi Marion! Thank you very much for your nice words! Do you think this would have been good with pandan? I guess so! Hope you will like it, my sweet Marion.

- Ivonne, oh gosh! And you are still asking for my permission! Of course you can come live with us! With another coconut lover in the house, it would be another good excuse to make these pots de creme again and again and again...

Alex, I am not sure I got what you said, but if you are talking about the coconut fruit then I didn't want to use it because it would have ruined the silkiness of the custard. And this brand of coconut cream was fragrant enough to taste it, even with the chocolate.

- Shayne, I am totaly clueless when it comes to vegan recipes. I don't know what you can use instead of the eggs! Looking forward to see you, too.
It's gonna be fun.

- Aforkfulofspaghetti, oh yes! he is a man of good taste. And I am here to remind him of it ;-) (So Vain!)

- Claude, je fais de mon mieux :) Contente que ca te plaise.

- Lydia, you are so sweet!I can't get him to eat a rare steak. It seems desgusting to him.

- My dear Patricia, I thought I was the only one who has a "no pink meat" policy at home. Feeewww! I feel better ;)

Helene said...

My husband likes the taste but not the texture so coconut milk and cream work like a charm when I want something coconut-y. Pots de creme are my favorite "impromptu" desserts! They are gorgeous!

Mama Mia said...

I love your blog with BEAUTIFUL photos! wonderful!

Brilynn said...

Those sound delicious!

Amanda said...

Oh... oh, my... Warda, you've got my mouth watering. I'll be trying these soon!

Anonymous said...

J'adore les pots de chocolat! Et maintenant, avec noix de coco - c'est superbe!

Merci pour la bonne recette! :)

biz

Naomi Devlin said...

Chocolate and coconut are a gorgeous pairing. Check out my own chocolate pots de creme, posted exactly a month ago!
http://milkforthemorningcake.blogspot.com/2008/03/sugar-free-petit-pots-de-chocolat.html

Unfortunately, I have had to give up chocolate entirely for the meantime, so I'm looking longingly at your pots and remembering how great that combination is.

x x x

Avory said...

Ahhh oui, je vais essayer cette recette, pronto! ;-)

mima said...

Cette creme me tente beaucoup,elle est vraiment tres allechante...Mais la noix de coco est absente du marche!!Que faire?Attendre...et des qu'elle debarque je me prends en photos avec et je te l'enverrais!!! en tout cas bravo

Anonymous said...

Bon anniversaire, ma chere Warda!

gros bisous,
christine

mima said...

Sena hilwa ya Warda!heureux anniversaire!happy birthday to you!!
koulou sena wa enti bi elfi kheyrin!
big,big,bisous.

Warda said...

- Helene, you are so right! I couldn't believe how quick and easy it was.

- Lina, thank you very much!

- Brilynn, thanks a lot!

- Mrs.W, good, good, good. Hope you'll like them.

- Christine, merci a toi pour ton lait de coco a tomber par terr. Et merci pour ton amitie surtout ma chere et tendre christine :)

- Naomi, and they sugar free! You are the best, and those petits pots are just too cute.

- Judith, mais avant il faut que tu saches qu'ils sont comme une drogue. Une fois tu en gouttes, tu peux plus t'arreter. Mais c'est de la bonne drogue, donc ca va! ;-)

- Mima, on se prendra en photo avec toute les deux et on l'enverra a Ghalem :)
Merci beaucoup ma mima adoree pour tes voeux et ton amour. Bisous. Bisous.

-

Cap'n said...

I tried this last night - with great results! Though I was a bit surprised by the texture - I was expecting it to be smoother - but once I started thinking about it I realized that maybe the coconut milk was the culprit and contributed the graininess. I wonder if I heated up the coconut milk and strained it - if that would alter the integrity recipe.

Thanks for a great recipe.

Brian

Warda said...

Brian, That's wonderful! Glad you like it. I didn't have this problem at all with mine. The texture was really smooth and creamy. Usually custards become grainy when they are overbaked or that the temperature of the oven is too high.I didn't strain mine because the texture was smooth even before baking it, but you can strain it next time. Maybe it can help.