Mexican Chocolate Pots

Given the winter solstice you have to consider chocolate pots. Made with Mexican chocolate, these warming tubs of goo bring all things good into sharp focus and banish to the background anything horrible and awful.

This is necessary for New Yorkers right now because we’re once again suffering the consequences of a transit strike. Most everyone takes trains and busses to work here. Rarely would someone in the city use his car to get from home to say, work or from home to the theatre, or to a restaurant. There are a fair number of taxis cruising the streets but to move efficiently in NYC, you must take the subway.

Normally, I travel from Brooklyn each working day into the city by subway, and then walk over to the World Trade Center site where I catch another train (the PATH) under the Hudson River to Jersey City where I work. This gets me from door to door in roughly 50 minutes. Map quest says the distance is a little less than 7 miles.

The first day of the strike I worked from home hoping the two sides would resolve their differences quickly. Unfortunately, the news reports offered no sign of a breakthrough in the negotiations so I needed to make alternative plans. Driving through the city to get to Jersey would have been unthinkable – the traffic on the roads was turning ugly. I didn’t even want to car pool because that would still put me on the road.

I bought a bike – nothing elaborate – just your standard Pee Wee Herman model commuter bicycle. I sold my last bike after I stopped competing in triathlons sometime in the early 90’s. Gawd, was it that long ago? Anyway, once I worked out the routes and restrictions I actually made the trip from door to door this morning in a little under 45 minutes. Granted, the timing of this strike could not be worse. The wind chill yesterday when I left the house was about 15 degrees. The Brooklyn Bridge is packed during the morning and evening commuter hours so that part of the trip requires walking. The rest was a piece of cake – err, or pudding.

Method

3 cups milk
1/3 cup light brown sugar (packed)
2 cinnamon sticks, cracked
9 large egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pound plus 2 ounces melted Mexican chocolate
Lightly sweetened whipped cream and ground cinnamon, for serving

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, brown sugar and cinnamon sticks and bring just to a boil. Remove from the heat, then cover the saucepan and let the milk infuse for 20 minutes. Then, in a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar and vanilla until pale. Whisk in the melted chocolate until smooth and glossy, the mixture will be quite thick. Remove the cinnamon sticks from the warm milk and discard. Gradually add the milk to the chocolate, whisking constantly, until smooth and creamy. Strain the custard through a fine sieve and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 300°. Place a kitchen towel in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Arrange ten 4-ounce ramekins or espresso cups in the roasting pan. Stir the chocolate custard until smooth, and then divide it among the ramekins. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Cover the roasting pan with foil and bake the custards for 35 to 40 minutes, or until just set around the edges but still slightly jiggly in the centers. Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until chilled. Garnish each pot de crème with a small dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.