Pots de crème au chocolat et thé Earl Grey

I've made chocolate pots a couple of times before for Valentine's Day (or night, rather) but not for the last few years. So I thought this year would be a good time to bring them back, with a few tweaks no less.


The old recipe included dark chocolate, eggs, double cream, milk, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper.

This time, I made some changes and swapped out the cream and milk for full fat coconut milk infused with Earl Grey and citrus peels. 

Ingredients

Coconut milk, Earl Grey, citrus peels infusing

1 C coconut milk

1 tsp loose Earl Grey tea leaves

2-3 strips of lemon peel

2-3 strips of orange peel

2 large free range egg yolks

3 tbsp demerara sugar

120g Green & Black's organic dark chocolate (70%), roughly chopped

⅛ tsp Himalayan pink salt

Infused coconut milk double strained

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp vanilla bean paste
dark chocolate, shaved for topping, optional

shredded coconut, for topping, optional
crystallised ginger, chopped, for topping, optional
walnuts, for topping, optional

4-6 ramekins or oven-proof coffee cups

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Place ramekins in a shallow baking pan.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the coconut milk over medium-low heat till it starts simmering.
3. Turn off the heat. Add in the tea leaves and zest strips. Cover and let steep for 10-60 minutes.
4. Strain the tea leaves (press firmly to release liquid) and zest. Double strain the infused coconut milk and return the liquid to the pan.
5. Bring the milk back to a simmer over a medium heat.
6. Turn off the heat and add in the chopped chocolate and salt, mixing until smooth. Do not let the chocolate burn.
7. Add in the vanilla and cinnamon and mix through.
8. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and demerara sugar until a thick paste is formed.
9. Slowly mix the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture until smooth.
   
10. Divide the chocolate mixture evenly among the ramekins. Pour hot water into the pan so it reaches halfway up the sides of cups.
    
    
    
    
11. Bake in the water bath for 25 minutes until almost set.
12. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool slightly. Carefully remove ramekins from the hot water and let cool on a wire rack.
    
13. Cover and chill the chocolate pots in the fridge until set (about 2 hours) and up to 3 days.
    
14. Remove the chocolate pots from the fridge about 10 minutes before serving for best texture. Sprinkle the pots with the desired toppings and serve.

These pots were seriously decadent. Very rich and velvety, with a refreshing orange note (the lemon was lost though). Husband was well pleased, even going to say that he'd be happy to pay for it at any high-end restaurant. :) 

A few thoughts:

1. I love Earl Grey but don't think I've had enough success with incorporate its smoky flavour and distinct aroma into my baking. The citrus was noticeable in these pots but not the Earl Grey. I wonder if it's because I didn't heat the coconut milk enough before I put the tea leaves in or if it's because 1 tsp wasn't enough. I'm inclined to think the latter.
2. I only had 4 ramekins, and while these pots were amazing and we were totally up for them, the richness made it hard for me to eat the whole portion at one sitting. I think the recipe would be better divided into 6 pots.
3. We tried four different toppings in two different combinations: shaved chocolate with shredded coconut and a walnut; and shredded coconut with chopped ginger. All worked well. I think a crunchy texture certainly added another dimension.
4. These pots definitely needed either a strong cup of tea or coffee to go with them.

I hope everyone had a sweet Valentine's!