To properly enjoy Pots de Creme, we must all speak with our best French accent while we pretend to be somewhere in Paris drinking espresso, nibbling on cookies and savoring a melt-in-your-mouth delicious little dish of Eggnog Pots de Creme. (Do they even have eggnog in Paris? Whatever. Not the point.)
Eggnog Pots de Creme
My husband and I are not great at creating family traditions. We're just not "traditions" kind of people. There are people out there - perhaps you're one of them - who LOVE traditions and are therefore really great at creating them. Me, not so much. My husband, even less so.
This means, if you are a child growing up in our house, that holidays and special occasions all look a bit different from year to year. There are very few ways in which we could finish this sentence: "Every year we...."
But, we DO have a few Christmas traditions.
A few years ago we took the kids to New York City for Christmas. The trip, of course, was their gift. But, we wanted something to open up on Christmas morning. So, on Christmas Eve, we drew names, descended on Macy's, $50 in hand, to find the perfect "Secret Santa" gift.
It was great fun and the Secret Santa gift tradition has continued to this day.
When we're home for Christmas, I make Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon, buttered potatoes and these rolls on Christmas Day. This year I mentioned making something different and the reaction of my family was such that I decided it was not a tradition to be trifled with.
And, at some point during the weekend after Thanksgiving, we drink eggnog, put up the Christmas tree, and watch a Christmas movie. But, I'm going to be honest with you, dear reader... this tradition is mostly about the eggnog and movie watching. The eggnog and movie are bribes to get a few ornaments on the tree. Whatever works.
Like fresh cranberries, eggnog magically disappears from store shelves and restaurant menus in January. Unlike cranberries, you can't throw a few bags of eggnog in the freezer for those times when you just really have a hankering for the stuff in April.
Should that happen to you, you can, of course, just make it yourself. OR - you can make these adorable and oh-so-delicious Eggnog Pots de Creme
Pots de Creme is the Perfect Dessert for Entertaining
Pots de Creme is crazy easy to make but tastes like something you'd only find in a restaurant for which you might have to take out a second mortgage in order to pay the bill. It's one of my favorite things to serve guests for several reasons...
First, as I just mentioned, this is one of the simplest desserts you can make. Second, you can make it a day or two ahead of time. Third, you bake and serve it in adorable little individual pots.
No slicing, plating, saucing, or scooping involved. Just pull the little pots from the refrigerator and serve them. I usually also serve cookies... these mini Ginger Sorghum Cookies are perfect.
Used in this recipe:
- Mini Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
- Individual Almond Cakes with Cranberry Sauce
- Mini Ginger Snaps with Sorghum and Brown Sugar
- Perfect Profiteroles
- Wine Poached Pear and Almond Tart
- Mini Butterscotch Eclairs
- Mini Cranberry Bundt Cakes with Lemon Glaze
- Cranberry Pineapple Upside Down Cakes
- Lemon Ricotta Olive Oil Loaves
- 11 Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or take a picture and tag it #ofbatteranddough on Instagram.
If you like this recipe for Eggnog Pots de Creme, try the Chai Vanilla version!
Eggnog Pots de Creme {Eggnog Custard}
To properly enjoy Pots de Creme, we must all speak with our best French accent while we pretend to be somewhere in Paris drinking espresso, nibbling on cookies and savoring a melt-in-your-mouth delicious little dish of Eggnog Pots de Creme. (Do they even have eggnog in Paris? Whatever. Not the point.)
Ingredients
- 2½ cups heavy cream
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoon ground nutmeg, plus more for sprinkling
- 7 large egg yolks (Save the whites for Italian Meringue Buttercream!)
- 3 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1-2 teaspoon imitation rum extract (to taste)
Instructions
- Combine the cream, milk, ⅓ cup sugar, and nutmeg in a large saucepan. Whisk to combine and cook over medium high heat until little bubbles appear around the edge of the pan.
- Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the remaining ⅓ cup sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- With the mixer running on medium high speed, slowly pour the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks in a thin, steady stream. If you pour it in too fast it will cause the eggs to scramble. Beating it into the eggs slowly tempers the yolks, creating a smooth custard. Be sure to scrape all the nutmeg from the pan into the egg mixture.
- Stir in the vanilla and rum extracts. Start with 1 teaspoon rum extract, taste, and add more if you like.
- Pour the mixture into a pitcher or a large measuring cup. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, and up to 1 week.
- Before baking, strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. This will remove the ground nutmeg, which will have already flavored the custard, ensuring a creamy, smooth consistency.
- To bake, put a rack in the center of your oven and heat to 300 degrees. Set a 9x13 inch glass or ceramic baking dish on a baking sheet. This provides extra insulation so that the pots de creme cooks slowly and evenly. Gently stir the custard and pour into pots de creme pots, filing each to ½ inch of the top. Cover each pot with their lid. Fill the glass baking dish with warm water, allowing the water to come about ⅔ of the way up the sides of the pots de creme pots.
- Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes. You'll know that the pots de creme is done if you remove one of the lids and shake the pot gently. The custard should be set, but jiggle slightly, like jell-o.
- Remove the pots from the hot water. (Tip: It can be tricky getting these little pots out of the hot water without burning yourself. I like to use a heavy duty rubber glove - the kind used for dishes and cleaning.)
- Remove the lids and sprinkle a bit of ground nutmeg over the tops of the custard. Replace the lids, allow the custard to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving, and up to 3 days.
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Leslie says
I’m putting these on my Christmas menu! One question: can I use ramekins and cover them with foil instead of lidded pots?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Leslie! I think that would work... I'm only hesitating because I've never tried it, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. I might actually try covering ramekins with parchment rounds secured with a rubber band instead of foil. Please let me know if you have any questions and I'd love to know what you think of these little custards. They are one of my favorite things in the whole world. xo