Chocolate Custard Pots with Pistachios & Cherries
Chocolate Custard Pots with Pistachios & Cherries is a decadently rich and delicious dessert that’s surprisingly easy to make. Along with pantry staples, you need just 5 ingredients and 15 minutes to make this tasty treat!
This is one of my all-time favourite desserts and because it’s a popular choice, chocolate pot de crème features on all my private cheffing menus. I’ve topped it with a variety of toppings from seasonal fresh fruit to popping candy, and it’s a hit every single time.
In this instance I’m making the most of the gorgeous British cherries that are in season – which pair beautifully with pistachio nuts. And if you love cherries and pistachios, check out this recipe for Easy Pistachio Ice-Cream with Cherries .
The result is a gorgeously creamy, chocolaty dessert that you’re going to want to make again and again!
Stir It Up
We’re going to start by making a very simple custard, and the trick here is to make sure that it’s on the lowest heat setting and that you’re constantly stirring the bottom of the pot with a silicon spatula. So we temper the eggs, then add to the warm cream and stir constantly until the custard has a beautifully thick consistency that coats the back of a spoon. If you neglect to stir the custard while cooking, you’ll end up with scrambled eggs – not a good look for dessert.
Single, Double or Whipping Cream?
In the UK, it’s generally easier to find single and double cream than it is to find whipping cream. And this recipe calls for whipping cream. So what to do?
Simple.
Buy the double cream.
The recipe includes 300ml of whipping cream, so reserve 100ml of double cream for the gorgeously thick, creamy topping, and mix 200ml of double cream with 100ml of milk, basically thinning the double cream to make your custard.
What’s the difference, anyway?
- Double cream (UK) and heavy cream (USA) has a fat content of between 45%-50%
- Whipping cream is 38% fat
- Single cream is around 19% fat
Double cream is more robust in that it can withstand higher temperatures while retaining its structure.
The Cherry on Top
The cherry syrup topping we’re making for this chocolate custard pot is the same one I made for my no-churn pistachio ice cream. It’s simplicity itself, but really elevates a dessert to a whole other level. We’re making a syrup by dissolving sugar in water and heating it until it has a nice thick syrupy consistency, and then pouring it over our fresh pitted cherries. This poaches the cherries ever so slightly, and intensifies their flavour. We’re going to leave our cherry syrup to cool, before pouring over the dessert. Use any fresh ripe cherries that take your fancy, some good choices include Bing cherries, Lambert cherries, Ranier cherries and Montmorency cherries.Did You Love My Chocolate Custard Pots with Pistachios and Fresh Cherries?
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use different nuts other than pistachios?
Sure. Chopped hazelnuts, cashews, pecan nuts or walnuts can also work as a dessert topping and goes well with the cherry syrup too.
Which other toppings could I use?
That depends entirely on you. I’ve used seasonal fruit as a topping and popping candy, you could also use caramel popcorn, chocolate shavings or honeycomb chocolate.
Chocolate Custard Pots with Pistachios and Cherries
- Total Time: 15 minutes and 2 hours to set
- Yield: Serves 4-5
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Chocolate Custard Pots with Pistachios & Cherries is a decadently rich and delicious dessert that’s surprisingly easy to make. Along with pantry staples, you need just 5 ingredients and 20 minutes to make this tasty treat!
Ingredients
Pantry Staples
- 80g sugar
- 60g water
- Pinch of salt
Ingredients
- 120g dark chocolate
- 300 ml whipping cream (or 200 ml double cream and 100 ml milk)
- 3 egg yolks
- 150g cherries, pitted and halved
- 100g pistachios, shelled and chopped
Instructions
- Roughly chop the dark chocolate and place it in a medium bowl, add a pinch of salt and set aside.
- Add 200ml of your whipping cream (or substitute 200ml of double cream and 100ml of milk), to a saucepan and heat gently over low heat.
- Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl.
- Remove the warm cream from the heat and slowly add some of the warm cream mixture to the egg yolks while whisking continually. This is known as tempering and serves to raise the temperature of the eggs gradually so they don’t curdle.
- Now you can add the tempered eggs to the cream and return the mixture to the lowest heat setting while stirring continually, using a silicon spatula. Make sure to watch the mixture and to stir continuously as custard is notorious for scrambling easily. The custard will start to thicken slightly after a few minutes, and it is ready when it reaches 85C or coats the back of a spoon. When removed from the heat, the custard should hold if you run your finger through the mixture.
- Pour the custard into the bowl over the chocolate and let this sit for at least a minute (preferably 2 minutes), allowing the heat from the custard to melt the chocolate. This allows for a glossy finish. Once the chocolate is fully melted, whisk the chocolate and custard together to create a beautifully glossy chocolate custard.
- Taste the custard and add a little sugar and salt to taste if desired.
- Divide the chocolate custard between 4 or 5 ramekins or glasses and allow it to cool and set (between 2 and 4 hours, depending on the portion sizes).
- Prepare the cherries by removing the pits and stems. Run a knife around the circumference of each fruit, twist the two sides in opposite directions to separate, and then remove the pits using the point of a knife. Alternatively, use a cherry pitter.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the sugar and water. Microwave the mixture for 1 minute to create a light syrup. Pour the syrup over the prepared cherries to lightly poach them. If you prefer a thicker cherry sauce, you can further reduce the syrup.
- Allow the cherry syrup to cool.
- Shell and roughly chop the pistachio nuts, and set aside.
- When ready to serve, whip the remaining 100 ml of double cream to form soft peaks. Place a spoonful over the tops of your set chocolate custard, pour over a small amount of the cherry syrup, and top with the chopped pistachios.
Serve and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 5 min
- Category: Desserts
