Thanksgiving: Desserts
Individual ‘Pots de Creme’
Credit to NYT Cooking: Melissa Clark
Individual as in NOT FOR SHARING! but also handy for those COVID drop ins you put aside separate compostable silverware for.
This is a recipe I am keeping in the locker for life, it’s fun to make, easy, and super satisfying.
| Prep Time | Cook Time | Serves |
|---|---|---|
| 20 mins | 35 mins plus chilling (3 hours min) | 4 |
Ingredients
One and a half cups of heavy cream
Half a cup of whole milk
Three ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
One ounce unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
Four egg yolks
Three tablespoons sugar
One eighth teaspoon kosher salt
Whipped cream for serving
Directions
1.
Heat oven to 300 degrees. Bring cream and milk to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Remove from heat and melt in chopped chocolate with a whisk.
2.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and salt. Whisking constantly, pour in hot chocolate, and strain through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl.
3.
Divide mixture into four Weck Jars and set them into a roasting pan that has hot tap water halfway up the sides. Cover pan with foil and poke hole in top with a fork.
4.
Bake in center of oven for 30-35 minutes until the jars’ outers are set, and middles of the are still jiggly (they will set when cooling). Cool on a wire rack and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Cranberry Lemon Curd Shortbread Bars
Also known as “how to cram all of my favorite things into one snappily named dessert”. Its one that you can make well in advance and know that you already have in the bag.
These bars will have you inventing reasons to get closer to the fridge, they are spectacular warmed up and really excellent right out of the cooler too. Lemon curd recipe curtesy Molly O’Neill.
| Prep Time | Cook Time | Serves |
|---|---|---|
| 35 mins | 1 hour, plus chilling | 9 |
Ingredients
For Crust:
One stick plus 1 tablespoons of butter
Three quarters of a cup of sugar
One and a half cups of all-purpose flour
One teaspoon of coarse salt
For Cranberry Filling:
One bag of fresh cranberries
Three quarters of a cup of granulated sugar
Two Lemons (zest of)
For Lemon Curd:
Four large whole eggs
Four large egg yolks
One third cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoon of lemon zest
1 cup lemon juice
10 tablespoons butter, diced
Optional: confectioners sugar for topping (through a sieve).
Directions
1.
Make the lemon curd (this makes extra – but it keeps in the fridge and goes extremely well with tea): whisk sugar, eggs, and lemon juice together in a medium heavy-bottomed pan. Drop in pieces of butter. Cook on a medium heat for 6-8 minutes mixing continuously. When the butter has melted and the curd has started to thicken, pour through a sieve into a bowl. Use a rubber spatula to press the curd through. Cover and set aside to cool in the fridge.
2.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the pan: butter an 8×8 baking dish thoroughly. Sprinkle flour on top of the butter and shake to distribute. Discard extra. Line with parchment with a two inch overhang and butter and flour the parchment. Overkill, I know, but it works.
3.
Make the crust: with an electric mixer beat butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy (3 minutes), scrape down bowl as it’s mixing to make sure it is all combined. Add flour and salt and beat until dough forms clumps but does not completely hold together (one minute). it should feel like grainy sand. Press down into the bottom pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes until crust is beginning to turn golden.
4.
Make the cranberry jam. Combine the cranberries, sugar and 3 tablespoons water in a medium saucepan. Zest 2 the lemons directly into the saucepan; reserve the lemons. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Continue boiling, stirring occasionally, until the berries burst and the mixture is jammy, 7 to 9 minutes. Set aside.
5.
When the crust is golden, pour the cranberry mixture over the crust and bake for 15-20 more minutes, or until the cranberries are bubbling. Set on cooling rack and let cool for a least ten minutes.
6.
Spread lemon curd evenly on top. Cover and let cool, refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight. Once you’re ready to serve you can cut it in the pan or pull out with the parchment. Option to dust with confectioner’s sugar (through a sieve is the prettiest).
