I was in a baking sort of mood and found myself engrossed in the dessert chapter of Bouchon, drooling over images of bouchon au chocolat (cork-shaped, brownie-like cakes) and dreaming of crème anglaise-soaked French toast. As I flipped through the pages, I drafted an ambitious grocery list, along with a mental wishlist of gadgets, including pots de crème vessels, flexi-timbale pans, and this Bouchon Mold, which I can’t stop thinking about. Lucky for me, my aunt has an arsenal of mini ramekins and espresso cups, which worked beautifully for the two recipes I settled on: vanilla bean pots de crème and dark chocolate mousse, both of which were wildly well received, the pots de crème in particular. Heavy cream, sugar, vanilla bean, egg yolks — it would have been a serious let down if it hadn’t been anything but spectacular, which it was, tasting like untorched crème brulée, but better, with the smoothest, most velvety texture, perfectly sweet, deeply satisfying in every which way. When I returned home, I almost placed an order for lidded pots de crème molds, which couldn’t be cuter but which I suspect might be uni-taskers, and I’ve made that mistake before. Instead, I placed an order for these mini Weck jars, which I’ve had my eye on ever since my mother gave me one filled with paté that had been packaged and sold in the Weck jar. It’s the cutest size — would be perfect for jams, chutneys, homemade face scrubs (if you’re into that sort of thing?) — and thinking ahead to next holiday season, I would love to have a stash on hand to package as gifts the paté I discovered this winter. You, of course, can use 4- or 6-oz ramekins here, which is a nice size, too, but there is something really nice about this teensy size, which won’t allow you to think twice about eating two (or ten).
5 from 4 reviews Notes: I just purchased a set of these mini Weck jars and love them especially for these pots de crèmes, which are traditionally baked in lidded vessels. The original recipe calls for using eight 5- or 6-oz pot de crème molds. Of course, if you have 4- or 6-oz ramekins, those will work, too. The mini Weck jars are much smaller (2.7-oz), which is kind of nice for such a rich dessert, but again, use what you have. Chocolate variation: Finely chop 6 ounces semisweet chocolate and place in a metal bowl. Then, in step 2, when you strain the mixture, strain it into a saucepan instead of a measuring cup. Heat the custard until it is warm, then pour it over the chocolate, let it sit to melt, then whisk it together until it has combined. Proceed with recipe.
