Crème Chocolat Fraises - Chocolate Creme with Strawberries

Replenishing stocks is something I do quite well. There is nothing more frustrating to me than to find a recipe I want to make just to realize that I am missing basic ingredients like confectioner sugar or almond flour. Although we don't have much pantry space in our apartment, I also try to stock when I can get the best deals. I don't go to Costco (the equivalent of the French Metro supermarkets) because it's too far from our place to justify the drive... and also because I definitively don't have enough space to stock on 10 packs of cereals and 25 pounds of flour! I just purchase more whenever there is a 2-for-1 deal or any other types of promotion.

Tonight, we just found out that our chocolate bars inventory reached zero! This is really bad news! Bad news because we all enjoy un carré (or two) of chocolate, dark chocolate that is.  I generally have it with my coffee after lunch (although since I started working I have not enjoyed a small espresso with chocolate! Local coffee shops don't treat you as well as French ones!!), my husband with his after dinner espresso. As for our children, "whenever" is their favorite time for chocolate. Since they drink chocolate milk in the morning and generally have something with chocolate for their gouter, they are allowed a carré (ou deux) de chocolat after lunch on week-ends. It's their little "plaisir", obviously because, in addition to being good, they associate the after lunch carré(s) de chocolat with adults habits. If they could lick their carré to the end to enjoy it for hours, they would!

No good chocolate bars indeed in our house tonight and for once I don't know when the next replenishment will come since we generally purchase our bars by the dozens in chocolate outlets (NB: for my readers outside the US: yes, there is such a thing as Chocolate outlet!!)).  No matter how much we are hooked on love chocolate, I can't justify a 50-mile trip to purchase chocolate bars. Quand même!! So, what's the plan? The fallback plan is to eat pink&red colored M&Ms, Saint-Valentin oblige... or to eat some of the baking chocolate I always keep in the cupboards! We did both... but it's really not the same!

Since we are talking about chocolate, here is an easy-to-make Chocolate Crème with fresh strawberries. My children loved it! As for me, I'd rather stick with my carré de chocolat with my espresso, assuming stocks are going to be replenished soon! Bon Appétit!

Ingredients:

Yields about 6 small ramequins

- 2 cups (500 ml) of whole milk

- 1/3 cup of sugar (preferably light brown cane sugar)

- 1.75 oz (50 gr) bittersweet dark chocolate

- 2 eggs + 1 yolk

- 1/2 Vanilla Bean, scrapped

- A few strawberries, dicesd + more for decoration

• In a large pot, pour the milk and the vanilla bean, bring to a boil, turn off the heat, cover and leave it infused for half an hour (you skip this step if you use vanilla extract).
• Preheat the oven to 320F (160C)
• In a large bowl, mix the eggs (+ egg yolk) and the sugar. Add the warm milk.
• Add a little bit of water to the chocolate, put it 20s in the microwave to melt it. Mix it to reach a smooth texture.
• Pour the cream on the chocolate and stir well.
• Pour the chocolate cream the ramequins
• Place a few peaces of fresh strawberries in the cream.
• Place the ramequins in a baking dish. Pour hot water so that the ramequins are half immersed.
• Cook in the oven for about 20-30 minutes. The center of the creams should be still moving a little bit.
• Take them out of the water and let them cool down
• Cover them up and put them in the fridge before serving.
• Decorate with additional fresh strawberries

My Personal Comments:

• I use at least 70% dark chocolate bars.