The Hirshon French Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding with Chambord And Whipped Cream – Pot de Crème au Chocolat Sombre Avec Chambord et Crème Fouettée

Citizens, your unmatched sovereign – the almighty TFD! – has both a known sweet tooth and an unholy lust for chocolate, making this recipe near the top of my beloved list for best desserts of all time! French chocolate pudding with a whisper of Chambord, the supreme raspberry liqueur of the country and vanilla whipped cream? Fantastic! Add in some edible gold leaf and edible flowers plus some mint leaves? Unmatched!

Pot de crème is a French dessert custard dating to the 17th century. The name means “pot of custard” or “pot of cream”, which also refers to the porcelain cups in which the dessert is served. It is usually looser than other custards, flans, or crème caramel.

Pot de crème is made with eggs, egg yolks, cream, milk, and a flavor, often vanilla or chocolate. The milk and cream are heated and flavored, then mixed into the whisked eggs and egg yolks.

Chambord Liqueur is a 16.5% abv raspberry liqueur modelled after a liqueur produced in the Loire Valley of France during the late 17th century. The Chambord product brand has been owned and produced by the Brown-Forman Corporation since 2006.

The Chambord brand was founded in 1982. The drink was inspired by a raspberry liqueur made in the Loire Valley in the late 1600s, said to have been introduced to Louis XIV during one of his visits to the château de Chambord. It was common during that time for liqueurs and cognac to be consumed with elegant meals.

In 2006, the Chambord product brand was acquired by the Brown-Forman Corporation.

Chambord is produced in the Loire Valley from red and black raspberries, Madagascar vanilla, Moroccan citrus peel, honey and cognac. Whole raspberries and blackberries are steeped in French spirits for a period of several weeks to produce a fruit infusion.

After the infusion is extracted, a second set of spirits is added to the fruit and allowed to rest for a few weeks. After this second infusion is drawn off, the remaining fruit is pressed to obtain the natural sugars and juice.

The fruit-infused spirits and juices from the final pressing are then combined, and finally, the berry infusion is married with a proprietary blend of cognac, natural vanilla extract, black raspberries, citrus peel, honey, and herbs and spices. The liqueur is 16.5% alcohol by volume.

Chambord comes in a spherical bottle. Until mid-2010, the bottle came with a metallic gold plastic lettered ‘belt’ around the middle, and a crown atop its lid. The bottle was modeled after a Globus cruciger.

In the U.S. market, the manufacturer began using a different bottle design in summer 2010, with modifications to the belt, lid and other elements.

I am EXTREMELY picky about my chocolate, and for this, only the best will do with the flavor profile I prefer (which tends to be found in beans from Africa as opposed to South America or elsewhere, at least for me!). My preferred chocolate for this dessert is E. Guittard 63% extra dark, found here. To add an extra hit of dark chocolate flavor, I use a touch of Callebaut 80% baking chocolate, found here. Vanilla bean paste (a necessity!) is here and gold leaf is here.

Despite the luxurious ingredients, this is by no means a difficult or time-consuming recipe – what it will be is the best chocolate pudding you’ll ever be fortunate enough to eat! 🙂

Battle on – The Generalissimo

The Hirshon French Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding with Chambord And Whipped Cream – Pot de Crème au Chocolat Sombre Avec Chambord et Crème Fouettée

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup whole milk, preferably from a Jersey cow
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup minus 2 tbsp. dark chocolate chips – TFD endorses only Guittard Extra Dark 63% Chocolate
• 2 tbsp Callebaut 80% Kumabo Dark Bittersweet Baking Chocolate
• 1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tbsp Chambord
• Kosher salt
• ***
• Whipped Cream:
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream — very cold
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1 tbsp powdered sugar
• ***
• Edible flowers for garnish
• Gold leaf for garnish
• Mint leaves for garnish

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Instructions

1. It is important to start with cold bowls and whisks. This recipe can be made with a stand mixer using the whisk attachment or a hand mixer using regular beaters.
2. Place your bowl and whisk/beaters in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes before making whipped cream.
3. Place cold heavy whipping cream in the cold bowl. Attach your whisk attachment (or beaters) and beat on high speed (6 or 8 with a stand mixer) until the mixture thickens. Slowly add the powdered sugar and vanilla.
4. Continue mixing on high until stiff peaks form. You may want to stop part way through and wipe down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. If you’re using a stand mixer it will take just a few minutes to get to stiff peaks. The whipped cream should be able to stay in its position when you turn the whisk attachment upside down.
5. Store in a sealed container for up to one day. This is best used the same day it’s made.
6. For the pot de crème: heat the half-and-half and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until scalding hot. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl. Slowly whisk the hot milk mixture into the eggs.
7. Return the milk mixture to the pan, reduce the heat to low, and whisk until it thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate chips, sugar, Chambord and a pinch of salt; whisk until melted. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve into a medium bowl.
8. Divide the mixture between two 6-oz. ramekins or serving glasses. Refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour. Garnish with edible flowers, mint leaves, whipped cream and gold leaf.

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