Recipe: Chocolate Pots de' la Creme Options

[*Azarel*]

Chocolate Pots de' la Creme
Ingredients
1. 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2. 4 cups heavy cream
3. 1/8 tablespoon salt
4. 6 yolks
5. 1/2 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon sugar
6. 1/2 cup heavy cream
7. 1/4 tablespoons freshly grated orange rind

Directions
Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream and the salt until scalded, then pour over the chocolate to melt it. Whisk the yolks with 1/2 cup of the sugar. Temper the yolk mixture with the hot chocolate mixture then place on the stove over medium heat to thicken slightly, until it coats the back of a wooden spoon. Pour mixture into ramekins and bake in a water bath at 300 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes until mostly set but a little jiggly in the center. Chill covered.
To serve, whip the cream with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon sugar and orange rind. Dollop onto the pots de creme.
Alternate Garnish: If you have vanilla beans lying around the house that have already been used, here's a great way to recycle them. Cut split vanilla beans into 3-inch sections. Place on a sheet pan in a preheated 300-degree oven and bake until dried. Keep in an airtight container. To garnish the pots de creme, lay the dried vanilla beans across the whipped cream.