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Chocolate Espresso Custard

Source of Recipe


From "Chez Panisse Café Cookbook" by Alice Waters



List of Ingredients



• 1 cup heavy cream
  
• 1 cup half-and-half
  
• 5 Tbsp sugar
  
• ¼ cup espresso beans
  
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
  
• ½ ounce unsweetened chocolate
  
• 6 egg yolks
  
• 1 tsp Cognac
  






Instructions



1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, warm the cream, half-and-half, sugar, and espresso beans over medium heat. Cook just long enough to dissolve the sugar, taking care not to let the mixture boil. Let the mixture steep for 30 minutes or so, off the heat, to infuse with the espresso flavor. (For a more intense espresso flavor, steep longer.) Set aside.
   
   
2. Melt the chocolates slowly over warm water in a double boiler, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until smooth and glossy. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly. Rewarm the cream mixture gently, and whisk it gradually into the egg yolks. Add the warm chocolate and the Cognac, stirring well. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. At this point, the custards may be baked, or the mixture may be refrigerated for a day or two.
   
   
3. To bake the custards, fill six 4-ounce ramekins and place them in a deep ovenproof dish. Pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover tightly with foil and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the custards are just set, the centers slightly soft when jiggled. Remove the ramekins from the hot water bath and cool to room temperature.
   Garnish with a spoonful of softly whipped cream and chocolate curls, if desired.
   
   Makes 6 servings.
   
   






Final Comments


"This rich custard is meant to be served at room temperature, so bake it no more than 4 hours ahead of time, until it sets perfectly, and do not refrigerate it when it comes out of the oven. The unbaked custard mixture, however, can be made a day or two ahead and kept in the refrigerator."