1. Someone asked who owns mini cheesecake pans? Um, I do. And they work great for mini cakes, which are great for celebrations for just two people. Plus portion control for those that believe in that. 😛 These are the ones I use. I own a set of 8. Yes 8. Yes they get used.
2. There is no chocolate of any kind left in the Halloween bowl. Sadness.
3. When Fed Ex wakes you up at 8am and you stumble out of bed with bad hair and flannel pj’s and stagger to the door and they hand you a box marked alcohol…you pretty much know they think you are already drunk. 😛 Thanks Roxy Ann Winery for the complimentary bottle of Roussanne though! Even though my Fed Ex girl now thinks I am a lush.
4. I’m tired of dealing with supposedly grownups who throw tantrums when they don’t get their way.
5. Reminder that with the holiday season lots of people love to give to charity (which is awesome!) but remember to research that charity a little. Find out what percentage of your money actually goes to helping others. That includes all my gung ho racers out there. My friend J was laughing so hard because his girlfriend convinced him to do some obstacle course run (they are runners) and it cost $60 a person which he cringed at. But she was like it’s for charity. Only to find out that IF you donated your used shoes they would sell them and donate an undisclosed portion of the money would be given to that charity. So research people, research.
6. The Sweet Genius guy on the Food Network creeps the living you know what out of me. Seriously, this guy got a show? Seriously? And don’t even get me started on his theme bs.
7. I would never sit down and eat 3 bowls of cereal, 10 ounces marshmallows, and 3 TBSP of butter but when combined together I seem to have no problem clearing the pan out.
8. I do not see Santa being kind to me this year. He wasn’t last year either. Santa is always nice to my dog though. Perhaps I should go around sniffing people’s butts and eating used Kleenex to get in better with the big guy.
9. I too like Lloyd Dobbler am waiting for my Dare to be Great situation to come along.
10. If you make Pots de Crème and you are feeding it to kids, just call it chocolate pudding and they will gladly eat it up. One even scraping the ramekin as hard as they could to get every last drop. Some people wanted their marshmallows on this toasted which I thought was a great idea. I just didn’t take any photos of it because we were kind of all eating them. 🙂
Hot Chocolate Pots De Crème
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup whole milk
3 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
2.5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
Marshmallows to garnish
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Bring cream and milk just to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat.
Add chocolate; whisk until melted and smooth.
Whisk yolks and sugar in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in hot chocolate mixture.
Strain mixture into another bowl. Cool 10 minutes, skimming any foam from surface.
Divide custard mixture among six 3/4-cup custard cups or soufflé dishes. Cover each with foil. Place cups in large baking pan. Add enough hot water to pan to come halfway up sides of cups.
Bake until custards are set but centers still move slightly when gently shaken, about 55 minutes. Remove from water. Remove foil. Chill custards until cold, about 3 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.)
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Adapted From Bon Appétit | October 2000
Janet Rudolph says
I am so making this. Love all your comments, too, especially about that creepy guy on Sweet Genius.
Elizabeth says
yuuummm. hope you get a better x-mas this year Peabody!
Jess Wakasugi says
MmmMMMm this looks so yummy! I love all of the warm, comforting desserts popping up. Perfect for the winter!
Melissa says
Oh yum!
Adam says
Great post :). Love the recipe. Where is this on the sweet meter? I’m always nervous with milk chocolate (even though I love it the most) because I and those I bake for are sensitive to things being too sweet.
And the charity thing reminds me of that episode of Seinfeld where Jerry is being audited for donating to the Volcano relief fund or the puffy shirt episode :).. Unfortunately, we rarely read the fine print and that’s typically where the most important information is. Oh, and I think I have definitely sat down and eaten 3 consecutive bowls of cereal or 10oz of marshmallows, though not together, and never with butter :).
shelly (cookies and cups) says
I just had my first chocolate pot de creme last week and thought I was going to die of deliciousness. Like seriously die. This is such a fun variation!
Becca says
Mmm. I’ve never had pots de creme (I plan to make it sometime in the near future though), but I do enjoy eating pudding, even the skin that forms on top…is that weird?
Maggie @ A Bitchin' Kitchen says
Number 3 makes me giggle. It also makes me grateful that I live in an apartment building with a concierge who takes my packages. No 8 am wake-up calls here!
As for Number 5 – this website is good for checking up on charities before giving away your hard earned dough! http://www.charitynavigator.org/
Mrs. L says
Wow, this looks and sounds awesome! I think it will haunt me in my dreams!
Jessi @ Quirky Cookery says
“If you make Pots de Crème and you are feeding it to kids, just call it chocolate pudding and they will gladly eat it up.”
Nuh uh, no way. If they don’t want to eat it as it’s called, then…yay, success! That means more for me.
What? I can’t be the only one that wants to keep this to myself, hehe.
Julie says
Yum! This could be Christmas eve dessert…. I also suffer from that same phenomenon of the combination of cereal, marshmallows and butter. What is up with that?!?
Nutmeg Nanny says
I want one of these. For breakfast. Don’t judge me.
Nicole says
1. I also own mini cheesecake pans and use them frequently.
2. Come to my house. We have lots of chocolate left.
6. That show is so creepy. Why can’t they have a normal baking show? I hate cupcake wars too.
Pots de Creme are so good. Yours look wonderful with marshmallows.
Nicola @ unhip squirrel says
I just discovered pots de creme (pots de cremes? – ugh, I don’t know.. I live in Quebec, I’m so ashamed of myself). They’re so awesome. I love the idea of a hot chocolate pot de creme. Genius!
kq says
Sweet Genius is like a car accident on the opposite side of the highway…I really don’t want to see it, but out of strange curiosity I slow down and peek. And then I am sorry I did….
Peabody says
@Kq- that is a perfect analogy for Sweet Genius!
Em says
These look delicious. I think we bought some souffle cups on clearance that we’ve never used for their actual purpose before. I should correct that.
I’ve used BBB (http://www.bbb.org/us/charity), Guide Star (I think free registration is required) and Charity Navigator to research charities before. You are right about the importance of knowing where your money is going before you donate!
That Sweet Genius guy creeps the hell out of us. I can’t watch more than 3 minutes of the show because he’s so freaky and serial killer-like.
We hid our extra Halloween candy in a basket on top of the fridge so our 2 yo wouldn’t see it. I was crushed when I reached up for a piece, only to realize we’d finished it all. Sad day!