Dark Chocolate Raspberry pots de creme

Well i am back from my trade show and planning our Thanksgiving Meal and I though this recipe is always a good one around the holidays. I know below I do not use my standard Green & Blacks chocolate but they do not make a 100% bar, at least I can not find one.


Dark Chocolate Raspberry Pots de Creme

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream (you can use half and half to save some calories but what is the point)
1 teaspoon of orange water
1 teaspoon of orange zest
6 egg yokes
1/2 cups sugar
pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 & 1/2 bars 4oz bar of 100% chocolate, Ghiradelli
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 10oz package of frozen raspberries defrosted and mashed
(you will need 1 1/2 cups if you use fresh, you will still need to mash them up)
1 table spoon of flour
4 table spoons of warm milk

Topping
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon of orange extract


Directions
Preheat oven to 350
Place heavy cream, orange water, orange zest and the vanilla bean and the seeds into a medium sauce pan. Heat over med to low heat for about 4 to 6 minutes, you want the cream very warm but not boiling, you want to infuse the favors into the cream. After the cream is warm reduce the heat to very low and remove the vanilla bean.
In a medium bowl wish together the egg yokes, sugar and salt. Set aside
Over a double boiler melt chocolate, melt do not boil the chocolate.
Mix flour and milk together so that there are no lumps.
Once chocolate is complete melted stir in milk and flour mixture until completely blended.
Now blend the chocolate into the cream mixture until very smooth and creamy.
Next whisk in by hand, slowly, the chocolate mixture into the eggs. Do this very slowly and whisk quickly so that the egg/sugar mixture does not scramble.
Once complete blended now add the mashed raspberries.
Now ladle the mixture into ramekins, i use a 5oz one and this will fill about 8 of them.
Place filled ramekins into high sided baking pan, next fill the pan with water so that it comes half way up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake for about 30 to 45 minutes until custard is set.
Remove pan from oven and allow the ramekins to cool while still in the water about 1 hour.
Remove the ramekins from the water and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. I usually make this the night before.

Topping -
place a ingredients into a medium bowl and blend on high speed into firm. You could add a 1/4 cup of powder sugar to the cream, but i like it with out the sugar, i like the freshness of the cream against the sweetness of the pots de creme

Enjoy Cooking