Chocolate Pots de Creme for Valentine's Day

Sometimes a mood or holiday determine what I'm cooking in the kitchen. This week, it was a container I found at Cost Plus World Markets. 

The adorable Weck brand 1/5 liter glass jar seems made for serving chocolate pots de creme (or lemon mousse, or vanilla custard, or rhubarb fool, the list goes on). 

While I think that the rubber and clip closure on Weck jars of this type are unnecessarily fiddly, the jars are perfect little serving vessels. 

I'm all for practicing recipes before I launch them on holidays. That means, perfect opportunity to enjoy chocolate creamy goodness days before the love-fest that is Valentine's Day.

Here's what I did:

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 cup whole milk

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 4 egg yolks

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoon cold, brewed coffee

• 1 tablespoon Frangelico (or other liqueur) 

Place chocolate chips and sugar into a blender or food processor bowl. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, heat the milk, cream, egg yolks, vanilla, coffee and Frangelico over medium. Bring the mixture to a slow boil and allow to simmer for two minutes -- stirring more or less the entire time.

Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate chips and sugar and blend or process until smooth. Divide mixture evenly among six serving dishes and refrigerate for at least two hours. Serve with fresh raspberries. 

This dessert pairs wonderfully with 2015 Day Zinfandel from Sonoma County.

When I serve this on February 14, I'll likely have Barry White in the background. But for today, I Beyonce provided the perfect mood music.