With the temps getting lower and holidays parties in mind, my recipe for rich, decadent dark chocolate orange pots de crème is elevated with the simple addition of Piro. olive oil and sea salt. Something in the silkiness of the oil, the crunch of the salt, the savoriness combined with bitterness and sweetness created the most perfect bite in your mouth. Good quality ingredients are essential here so make sure you’re using quality bittersweet dark chocolate. Ghirardelli and Guittard are easy to find in most supermarkets, but there are other options like Callebaut from Belgium that are often sold in specialty food stores.
Make these pots de crème for a beautiful dessert and pair them with Macallan 10-year Old Single Malt Scotch Whiskey. Perfection.
- Susie
DARK CHOCOLATE ORANGE POTS DE CREME with PIRO. & SEA SALT
Makes 12 in tall shot glasses or 6 ramekins. Small containers work well as these are so rich!
Ingredients
2 large eggs
2 tbsp granulated sugar
7 oz good quality bittersweet baking chocolate
¼ tsp sea salt
¾ cup low fat milk
2 tbsp Piro. extra virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 orange, some reserved for garnish
½ tsp sea salt crystals
Steps:
- Combine eggs, sugar, chocolate and salt in a blender and set aside
- Heat milk in a small 1 quart saucepan until scalding hot (approx. 180F)
- Pour the milk into the blender with the other ingredients and blend immediately (so the egg doesn’t cook) on medium until the chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Scrape the sides of the blender, as needed, until the chocolate is smoothly incorporated.
- Add the olive oil and orange zest and pulse in the blender to distribute evenly
- Pour into ramekins, shot glasses, or shorter champagne flutes and chill at least 6 hours in the fridge.
- To serve: Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the sea salt crystals and reserved orange zest.
*Makes about 12 when poured into tall shot glasses. Serve with cocktail/hors d’oeuvre spoons.
About Susie
Susie Davidson Powell is an award-winning food and drinks writer, the long-time dining critic for the Albany Times Union, and her dining, wine, cocktail and travel articles regularly appear in the Times Union, Hudson Valley, Upstate, 518 and Women at Work magazines. For Hearst Media, she produces The Food Lifewhich recently launched Kitchen Raid: Fast Plates + Modern Cocktails, a 6-week e-subscription bringing chef and bartender tips to the home cook. Her own hospitality and dining guide, TheDishing.com, is set to launch in early 2022. Susie has received national awards for food criticism from the National Society of Features Journalism and served as a James Beard Awards’ restaurant judge for New York State.
Follow Susie on Instagram @Susiedp