Chocolate Crème Brûlée

NOTE: This recipe doubles easily to make 6, 7oz ramekins

Ingredients

For 3, 7oz Ramekins

1. 2 cups heavy cream
2. 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer 2 tablespoons Dutch-process and 1 tablespoon of a lighter variety, just for contrast, but any cocoa powder will work)
3. 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
4. ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
5. 4 egg yolks
6. ⅓ cup granulated sugar
7. 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
8. ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
9. More granulated sugar, for bruleeing before serving
10. Confectionary sugar, whipped cream, and shaved chocolate (use a chocolate bar and a vegetable peeler for this) – for serving

Method

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F (38°F below the temperature that sugar caramelizes) with the rack in the middle position
2. Arrange ramekins in an oven-proof baking dish or pan that is 2-4 inches deep

Step 2: Warm the cream

1. In a medium saucepan or small pot, begin heating cream, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and chocolate chips over medium-low heat. You want to warm it up, but you don’t want it to boil. The chocolate will float at first, but just keep whisking it once in a while; it will incorporate eventually.
2. Once cream is barely steaming and chocolate chips are mostly melted, stir gently and remove from heat
3. AVOID SCRAMBLED EGGS: Using an instant read or probe thermometer, allow cream to cool to below 150°F (that’s a few degrees below the temperature that eggs scramble)

Step 3: Meanwhile, while cream is heating and cooling

1. Separate yolks and whites from 4 eggs, reserving the whites for another use, if you like. Place yolks in a large-ish bowl.
2. Add sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract (if using) to the egg yolks
3. Beat together with a whisk until homogeneous and slightly fluffy

Step 4: Combine the cream and eggs to make a custard

1. Place the bowl with the eggs and sugar on a kitchen towel for stability
2. In your non-dominate hand, grab the pot with the cream, using a hot-holder or kitchen towel if needed
3. In your dominate hand, firmly grab hold of a wire whisk
4. Begin whisking the egg mixture rapidly, and add cream a splash at a time (¼ cup) at a time – pausing for about 5 seconds between additions – while continuing to whisk like hell until all the cream is incorporated into the egg mixture. If you discover at this point that all the chocolate chips aren’t fully melted, that’s okay – they’ll melt when you bake the custard… just scrape all that stuff into the egg mixture and make sure it’s mixed really well

Step 4: Bake the Crème Brûlée

1. Pour the custard into the ramekins in the baking dish – use a ladle, or transfer to a pitcher to make it easier on yourself.
2. Pour hot water (tap-hot is fine) into the baking dish (NOT the ramekins themselves – you’re making a bath here) until the water level comes up about halfway around the outside of the ramekins
3. Carefully (like you’re handling plutonium) place the baking dish with the ramekins into the oven, careful not to slosh the custard in the ramekins
4. Bake for 45 minutes at 300°F

Step 5: Cool the Crème Brûlée

1. After 45 minutes, remove the Crème Brûlée from the oven
2. Using needle nose pliers, carefully lift the ramekins out of the water bath and place on the counter to cool for 30 minutes
3. Once sufficiently cool, place ramekins into the fridge for 3 hours, or for up to 2 days

Step 6: Brûlée your Crème and serve

1. When ready to serve, sprinkle a dusting (1-2 teaspoons per ramekin) of granulated sugar over the tops of the custard in the ramekins
2. Using a torch, scald the sugar on top. Or, if you don’t have a torch, pop the ramekins directly under the broiler in your oven – watch them like a hawk to make sure they’re an amber, golden brown – not burned
3. Top with whipped cream and confectionary sugar, if desired