Min's Mexican Pots de Creme

We made a quadruple batch of these for our Housewarming Extravaganza, and put little dollops of deliciousness in disposable plastic Asian soup spoons. They were a hit at the party, everyone loved them. The idea behind using the spoons was because I didn't have ramekins or spoons for 40-60 people...and it worked!

We called them Mexican Chocolate Spoons. A quadruple batch yielded about 89 spoons!

The original recipe for these decadent little treats came from my trusty Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. BH&G says this about the recipe: "Pots de creme (poh-duh-KREM) is a very rich, puddinglike dessert that is served cold."

This does take at least 2 hours to chill, so plan a bit ahead. You can make it up to 24 hours ahead. I love planning ahead for dinner parties, and this is a quick and elegant dessert.

I've changed it up, so here is my version:

Min's Mexican Pots de Creme

1 cup half-and-half or light cream (I use heavy cream if it's all I've got)
1 4-ounce package sweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 beaten egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Whipped cream (optional, but a wonderful addition)

1. In a small heavy saucepan combine half-and-half, chocolate, sugar and cinnamon. Cook and stir over medium heat about 10 minutes or till mixture comes to a full boil and thickens. Gradually stir about half of the hot mixture into beaten egg yolks; add egg yolk mixture to hot mixture in pan. Cook and stir over low heat for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour into 4 or 6 pots de creme cups or small dessert dishes. Cover and chill 2 to 24 hours. If desired, serve with whipped cream. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Variations:

If you'd rather not have "mexican flavored" chocolate, omit the cinnamon.

If you'd like an espresso-flavored dessert, simply omit the cinnamon and add 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder (or instant coffee powder) along with the cream.