Salted Chocolate Pot de Creme with Miso Caramel

I have a confession, I don't love chocolate desserts. Okay okay, let me rephrase that...

Chocolate Pot De Creme in these stunning Estelle Colored Champagne Coupe Glasses

I am incredibly picky when it comes to chocolate desserts.

Don’t get me wrong, I like them, but I’ve found there are only a handful of chocolate desserts that I would willingly choose over something with fruit, peanut butter, caramel or my biggest weakness, lemon…..

When this happened is beyond me. I used to be firmly planted in the camp of  “if it ain’t chocolate, it ain’t dessert”. But somewhere along the way, in the past 10 years or so, my taste buds suddenly pulled a 180 on me, and now I prefer pretty much anything BUT a chocolate dessert.

However…..

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One of my chocolate dessert exceptions (besides a warm and gooey homemade chocolate chip cookie), is the recipe I am sharing with you this week on The Kitchen Counter: Chocolate Pot de Creme with Miso Caramel. But not just any Chocolate Pot de Creme, because this recipe, originally by ATK that I have since tweaked and adapted to suit my tastes, solves all the problems I typically have with chocolate desserts. First, it’s not overly rich and heavy like a frosted chocolate cake might be, or so sweet that it masks the nuances of the chocolate flavor, which can make it hard to enjoy more than a few bites.

While the flavor is deeply chocolatey, any sweetness that might otherwise veer into cloying is tamed and balanced. This is achieved by using a dark 72% chocolate, adding a bit of espresso powder and also pushing the salt to it’s limit. Using some half and half instead of all heavy cream keeps things light, leaving a clean and pleasant aftertaste. Smooth and velvety, it has a custard like texture but thicker, with a luxurious mouthfeel that melts on the tongue. It’s cool and creamy, and all at once light yet deeply satisfying. How a dessert can be paradoxically light yet decadent is what makes this one so special. A perfectly balanced chocolate dessert that is easy to enjoy in full.

Now, about the miso caramel. While by no means a must, it’s a delightful accompaniment that plays with the balance of sweet and salty, adding another layer of complexity without stealing the show. It’s the kind of finishing touch that turns heads at a dinner party (and if you use my quick ad easy version, it doesn’t demand more work in the kitchen).

What I love most about this dessert, though, is its ease. You can make it up to three days in advance, which makes it ideal for entertaining (or, in my case, catering). Furthermore, unlike traditional Pot de Creme recipes that ask you to pull together a cumbersome oven water-bath, all the cooking is done on the stove. This means there is no need to bake the chocolate custard after you pour it into your ramekins of choice. Therefore, you are free to use any food-safe vessel you might otherwise worry about going into a hot oven. Grandma’s antique crystal glasses? Perfect to showcase this dessert.

When it comes time to serve, there’s no last-minute fussing. No slicing, no brûlée-ing, no worrying about melting or thawing. Serving it chilled means it’s ready when you are. Just pull it out of the fridge, add a sprinkle of flaky salt, a drizzle of caramel, some gold leaf, or even a delicate edible flower, and you’re done. It’s as low-maintenance as it is impressive. Think of this recipe as my gift to you, to have in your back pocket as we slowly drift into the season of get-togethers and entertaining.

So why did I choose this week to offer you this recipe? Well, this is our “identity crisis month” if you remember from last week. And this dessert transcends all seasons, as it’s just at home on an al fresco dinner table on a balmy summer evening as it is served after a cozy holiday meal.

The little black dress of the dessert world. And even I would choose that every single time.

The beauty of this recipe is you have the freedom to present the Pot de Cremes in any food-safe vessel you like, since there is no baking.