Pots de Creme

A few minutes after I asked D what he wanted for dinner, I found myself clicking on the first post on Tastespotting--pots de creme from Lick My Spoon.

I had everything on hand, so I made them. As with every other food blogger, I made my own substitutions (otherwise why would I bother posting again--I could just direct you to her post!).

First, I used peppermint tea (with loose peppermint leaves) instead of coffee. I brewed it strong, but you could hardly taste the mint. I think it needed mint extract!

Second, I used extra bittersweet chocolate, because it's what I had on hand. Next time I'd made it with semisweet. D found it a little bit too bitter for his tastes, although I thought it was delightful.

In other news, I started my culinary school application today!

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Chocolate Pots de Creme
makes 4 servings

Equipment
hot beverage maker (tea kettle, microwave, coffee maker, etc)
blender (see Notes if you don't have a blender!)

Ingredients
6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 cup)
2 eggs
1t vanilla extract (or mint extract)
0.5t salt
4oz. very hot peppermint tea, brewed very strong (0.5c, although beware it evaporates fast, so brew a little bit extra)

This is one small serving, and it's definitely enough!

Directions
1. Put the chocolate, eggs, extract and salt into the blender. Blend on medium-low for 1 minute.
2. Pour in the hot tea and continue to blend until the mixture become homogenous.
3. Pour the mixture into 4 pretty containers, let cool for 5 minutes at room temperature and then refrigerate for 3-4 hours before eating.
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Notes:
- If you don't have a blender, try doing this by melting the chocolate and letting it cool, then mixing really well with the eggs (using a fork or whisk) before adding the tea. It may or may not turn out, but definitely give it a shot!
- Yes, the eggs are basically raw. Sometimes, you have to live a little, and maybe hope that the super hot tea will do something to cook the eggs, although unless your tea is actually boiling, it's unlikely.

Other flavor ideas:
- double-brewed Earl Grey tea (subtle and sophisticated)
- chai tea with cinnamon
- rum
- using pumpkin in place of chocolate, hot cream instead of tea and pumpkin pie spice instead of vanilla