A classic French chocolate dessert based on a vanilla custard enriched with fresh chocolate pieces. After chilling, it is served in glasses topped with generously whipped cream for an elegant and impressive presentation.
dark chocolate piecesquantity not specified in transcriptnull
cold heavy cream for whipping200 ml
icing sugar20 g
Steps
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1
Combine milk and cream in a saucepan and mix well with a spoon. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and add both seeds and pod to the milk mixture.
2
Turn heat to medium-high and gently warm the milk mixture until it's steaming and nearly boiling but not quite. Prepare a separate bowl on the side.
3
In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar for about one minute until the mixture becomes slightly paler and the sugar begins to dissolve.
4
Turn off the heat. Pour the hot milk mixture over the egg and sugar mixture, but do so carefully: first pour a small amount through a sieve into the eggs to temper them and reduce the temperature, stir well, then pour in the remaining milk.
5
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook on medium to medium-low heat, stirring regularly to prevent sticking at the bottom. Use a food thermometer to monitor the temperature; it's done when it reaches 80–82°C. You can also watch for the foam on the surface to disappear as an indicator.
6
Pour the custard into another container to cool slightly. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl or sieve.
7
Pour about half of the hot custard over the chocolate pieces and let it sit for a moment to begin melting. Gently stir with a spatula to ensure even melting of the chocolate.
8
Pour in the remaining custard and continue stirring until the chocolate is completely incorporated and the mixture is smooth and thick.
9
Transfer the chocolate custard into a cold container, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours until fully set. It can also be refrigerated overnight or longer.
10
If prepared ahead, remove the chilled chocolate custard and let it sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes to reach a creamy, spoonable consistency.
11
Fill a piping bag and pipe the chocolate custard into serving glasses, filling to the desired level. You can use a small spoon to fill any gaps.
12
Make whipped cream: chill the bowl, whisk, and cream in the freezer beforehand. Pour cold cream into the chilled bowl, add icing sugar, and whisk slowly at first. As the sugar incorporates and the cream begins to thicken, you can use a spatula. When you see soft peaks forming and streaks appearing, switch to a hand whisk to finish. Stop as soon as it reaches stiff peaks but is still creamy—avoid overwhipping, which causes grains to form.
13
Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe a generous swirl of whipped cream on top of each glass of chocolate custard.
14
If desired, garnish with roasted peanuts, chocolate pieces, or other toppings of your choice. Serve and enjoy.
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