We woke up this
morning to a thunderous, Singapore storm and a gloomy dreary day outside – I
could not have been happier! Just ask Andrew, nothing gets me more excited than
the prospect of a rainy day where I can turn up the air conditioning to almost Arctic levels and pretend it’s winter!
Given the long hours we have been working lately, the house is a bit
disorganised and generally not up to the standard I like. So, what better way
to spend my Saturday (?), than holed up inside enjoying the ‘winter weather’
and getting the place in order. I love a good day of tidying up and
reacquainting myself with my home.
I of course started in my favourite room of the house, the kitchen, deciding
the pantry needed a good going over amongst other things. You will be pleased
to hear that I didn’t get very far with the tidy up - instead I discovered an
old bottle of very good Japanese whiskey that Andrew had stumbled across
(literally) on one of his trips to Tokyo.
NO! I didn’t sit down and drink it whilst watching old episodes of Sex
and the City, although an inviting alternative ... instead I turned it into a
delicious dessert for after dinner. The pantry is still a mess. The house is still
disorganised. But really, who cares when you think about the creamy, chocolaty
pots of deliciousness cooling in the fridge!
I can almost hear my Grandfather admonishing me from up above. You would never
catch a Scott baking with their finest drop – apologies Grandad!
Given
there was no sport done this morning on account of the weather, I chose to
complement the little cups of chocolate-y goodness with raspberries. This of course makes them calorie neutral, like ordering a diet coke alongside your burger with the lot, standard practice.
Dark Chocolate Whiskey Pots
de Creme:
Borrowed from Helene Dujardin of ‘Tartelette'
Helene’s recipe calls for Irish whiskey, but I think Japanese whiskey
worked just as well (Andrew is quite taken by Japanese beer too – try Hitachino
Nest if you come across it)! And, I replaced bittersweet chocolate with dark
chocolate, which added a bit of adult complexity to the dish.
6 large egg yolks
1/4 cup (60ml) honey
1/2 cup (125ml) whole milk
1 cup (250ml) heavy cream
6oz (180gr) chocolate
1/4 cup (60ml) whiskey
In preparation place the ramekins into a roasting pan and set aside and preheat your oven to 350F and position a rack in the centre. For this recipe it is very important that the temperature of your oven is exrtemely accurate to ensure you don't overcook the chocolate pots, if you think your oven might be a bit 'dicky' purchase an in oven thermometer, you can buy very basic ones for just a few dollars.
Next, in a large blow whisk the egg yolks with the honey for 2-3 minutes. In the meantime, bring the milk and cream to a simmer in a large saucepan set over a medium high heat. Once simmering, remove from the heat and add the chocolate to the mixture. Slowly whisk until the chocolate is completely melted (return over low heat if you find the chocolate is having trouble dissolving).
1/4 cup (60ml) honey
1/2 cup (125ml) whole milk
1 cup (250ml) heavy cream
6oz (180gr) chocolate
1/4 cup (60ml) whiskey
In preparation place the ramekins into a roasting pan and set aside and preheat your oven to 350F and position a rack in the centre. For this recipe it is very important that the temperature of your oven is exrtemely accurate to ensure you don't overcook the chocolate pots, if you think your oven might be a bit 'dicky' purchase an in oven thermometer, you can buy very basic ones for just a few dollars.
Next, in a large blow whisk the egg yolks with the honey for 2-3 minutes. In the meantime, bring the milk and cream to a simmer in a large saucepan set over a medium high heat. Once simmering, remove from the heat and add the chocolate to the mixture. Slowly whisk until the chocolate is completely melted (return over low heat if you find the chocolate is having trouble dissolving).
Slowly pour the chocolate mixture over the egg yolks and honey, whisking
constantly until both mixtures come together. Add the whiskey and stir briefly.
Divide the chocolate batter evenly among the ramekins. Pour hot water
into the roasting pan so that it reaches halfway up the sides of the dishes and
then bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the cream appears just set. Speaking
from experience, it is very easy to overcook these delicious treats so
be sure to keep an eye on them.
When cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before refrigerating for at least 2 hours before eating. Serve with vanilla bean ice cream or double cream… or maybe even a little of both! To make yourself feel slightly less guilty you can serve them with a fruit like raspberries to lighten the richness.
Yields 6 to 8 depending on the size of the ramekins you use.
... and in other food related news this weekend we have decided to start trying to grow our own produce. We are starting small which is sort of necessary given we live in an apartment!
When cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before refrigerating for at least 2 hours before eating. Serve with vanilla bean ice cream or double cream… or maybe even a little of both! To make yourself feel slightly less guilty you can serve them with a fruit like raspberries to lighten the richness.
Yields 6 to 8 depending on the size of the ramekins you use.
... and in other food related news this weekend we have decided to start trying to grow our own produce. We are starting small which is sort of necessary given we live in an apartment!
