I don't know about you, but I desperately crave chocolate the entire month before Valentine's Day. I'm pretty sure that this insatiable urge has something to do with the amount of hot pink, brightly wrapped treats that line the shelves in almost every store that I pop my head into and I'm totally cool with that. I actually dig it. And what's even better is that the Mast Brothers Chocolate factory is right down the street from the Dep so all the employees are constantly popping in for a salted caramel bonbon or a piece of chocolate cake. Yeah, life on N3rd is pretty good and exceptionally tasty.
It gets better though. Like the other day when Camilo Kohn, a Dep employee who used to be a cook at Atera, blew our mind with a dessert that he's perfected. With a Mast Brother's Brooklyn Blend chocolate bar and a plethora of other ingredients that we sell at the shop, Camilo made an insane chocolate and espresso Pot de Creme with cardamom cream and hazelnut brittle. And luckily for you, he's scaring his recipe so if you're brave save it for next and blow someone's mind.
Chocolate and Espresso Pot de Creme with Cardamom Cream and Hazelnut Brittle.
(Yield 8 portions)
Ingredients
For Pot de Creme.
- 16 ounces whole milk
- 12 ounces heavy cream
- 4 ounces sugar
- 8 egg yolks
- 2 ounces dark rum
- 3 ounces espresso
- 12.5 ounces dark chocolate (5 bars Mast Brothers Brooklyn Blend) chopped.
For Cardamom Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
- 3 Tablespoons confectioner sugar
For Hazelnut Brittle
- 2 cups sugar
- 2.5 cups hazelnuts, chopped
- 0.5 cups butter (8 Tablespoons)
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoons chili flakes
- 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Preparation
For Pot de Creme
1) Combine milk, cream and sugar in a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium.
2) Whisk egg yolks in a bowl and temper with the hot milk by adding the hot liquid into the egg in a thin stream and whisking vigorously. Once eggs are tempered (warm) return to pot and on medium to low heat stir with a wooden spoon until nape consistency (when it thickens and coats the back of the spoon) making sure to to over cook it.
3) Reduce heat and stir in the espresso and rum.
4) Place the chop chocolate on a bowl and pour half of the hot liquid. Let it rest for a minute and whisk until fully incorporated. Add the remaining liquid slowly.
5) Pour the pot de creme into individual ramekins and let cool completely (at least 4 hours). Top with fleur de sel (sea salt).
6) When serving add a scoop of whipped cream and pieces of the brittle. You can also add some herbs like mint or lemon balm as well as citrus rind (orange or meyer lemon).
For Cardamom Cream
1) Pour the cold cream into a bowl with the sugar and ground cardamom.
2) Whisk vigorously until it reaches consistency of whipped cream.
3) Serve
For Hazelnut Brittle
1) Place all the sugar in a pot and begin melt it at medium to high heat. Once it is half melted reduce the temperature to medium and let it cook until it reaches a caramel color.
2) Stir in the nuts and butter, cook for another 3 minutes. Add half the salt, chili flakes, and cinnamon and mix well.
3) Pour the mixture into a sil pad or non stick parchment paper and spread with a rubber spatula until desired thickness. Sprinkle the remaining salt on top.
4) Cool in a refrigerator or at room temperature until it is completely hard and brittle-y.