WHITE CHOCOLATE CREME BRULEE

3 egg yolks
6 tbs sugar, divided
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 oz white baking chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 tsp vanilla

in a small bowl, whisk egg yolks & 2 tbs sugar; set aside. in a small saucepan, combine the cream, chocolate, & 2 tbs sugar. heat over medium-low heat until chocolate is melted & mixture is smooth, stirring constantly.

remove from the heat. stir in vanilla. stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolk mixture; return all to pan, stirring constantly.

pour into two 10 oz ramekins. place in a baking pan. add 1" of boiling water to pan. bake, uncovered, at 325° for 50-55 minutes or until center is set. remove from water bath. cool for 10 minutes. refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

if using a creme brulee torch, sprinkle with remaining sugar. heat sugar with torch until caramelized. serve immediately.

if broiling the custard, place ramekins on a baking sheet; let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. sprinkle with remaining sugar. broil 8" from the heat for 4-7 minutes or until sugar is caramelized. refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm.

2 servings

CHOCOLATE TREASURE BOXES

1 (7 oz) carton milk chocolate for dipping
4 fresh strawberries
5 (1.55 oz each) milk chocolate candy bars
1/2 cup vanilla OR white chips, melted
1/2 cup cold milk
1/4 cup instant chocolate pudding mix
1 1/4 cups whipped topping

melt dipping chocolate according to package directions; dip strawberries into chocolate and allow excess to drip off. place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet; set aside.

cut candy bars in half widthwise. drizzle with white chocolate; refrigerate until set. dip the short sides of two candy bar halves into melted chocolate; place at right angles to each other on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet, forming two walls of a box. dip the short sides of two more candy bar halves; attach at right angles to form a 4-walled box. repeat, forming a second box. refrigerate boxes and strawberries until set, about 10 minutes.

meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set; fold in whipped topping.

place boxes on serving plates. cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert star pastry tip. fill bag with pudding mixture; pipe into boxes.

reheat dipping chocolate if necessary. dip the long sides of remaining candy bar halves into melted chocolate; adhere to a top edge of each box, forming a lid. garnish with strawberries. refrigerate for 10 minutes or until set.

makes 2 boxes (2 servings each)

CHOCOLATE POTS DE CREME

9 oz high-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
6 lg eggs
5 tbs sugar (add an extra tbs if using bitter chocolate)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbs 10x sugar

place the chocolate in a blender. whisk the milk, 1 cup cream, egg yolks, sugar & salt in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium heat. cook, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spatula and almost boiling, 5-6 minutes.

immediately pour the milk mixture over the chocolate in the blender. cover and hold the lid with a thick kitchen towel; blend until combined and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed. divide the chocolate mixture among ramekins or small cups and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

whip the remaining 1/2 cup cream and the 10x sugar with a mixer or in the blender until soft peaks form. top the chilled pots de creme with whipped cream.

6-8 servings

VANILLA CREME BRULEE

1 vanilla bean
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half-and-half
8 large egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 8 tsp superfine sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt

prepare the vanilla: halve the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a paring knife. position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325°.

infuse the cream: bring the cream, half-and-half & vanilla seeds and pod to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. reduce the heat to low and simmer to infuse the cream with the vanilla, 10-15 minutes. discard the vanilla pod. remove the cream mixture from the heat and cool slightly. meanwhile, bring a kettle of water to a boil.

make the custard: whisk the egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar and the salt in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is pale yellow and thick; it should leave a trail when you lift the whisk. pour in the cream mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. skim off any foam or bubbles from the surface.

pour into ramekins: arrange eight 6 oz ramekins in a roasting pan and divide the custard evenly among them.

bake in a water bath: pull out of the oven rack slightly, place the roasting pan on it and pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

bake until the custards are just set in the center, 40-45 minutes. carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath and transfer to the refrigerator. chill, uncovered, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

prepare the topping: about 30 minutes before serving, sprinkle 1 tsp sugar over each custard. tilt the ramekins to evenly distribute the sugar and tap out any excess.

caramelize the sugar: holding a kitchen torch about 3" away, burn the sugar until it turns a deep amber. refrigerate the creme brulees just until the crust hardens, 30 minutes to 1 hour, but no longer (the topping may start to soften). serve cold.

8 servings

EASY MEXICAN CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE

2 tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature, for greasing the ramekins

4 (3.1 oz) disks mexican chocolate, coarsely chopped
6 tbs (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 lg egg yolks
6 lg egg whites
1/4 cup sugar

preheat the oven to 400°. butter 8 (1/2 cup) ramekins or custard cups with 2 tbs butter. set aside.

for the souffles: stir the chocolate and 6 tbs butter in a large metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the mixture is melted and smooth (mixture will be a little grainy). remove the chocolate mixture from the heat and let cool slightly. whisk the egg yolks and add 2 tbs of the cooled melted chocolate to the yolks, mixing to incorporate. add the rest of the chocolate and mix until nice and smooth. using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until foamy. add the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. fold into the chocolate mixture in 3 additions. divide the chocolate batter among the prepared ramekins filling them 3/4 of the way.

bake the souffles until puffed but the centers jiggle slightly, 16-18 minutes. serve immediately.

8 servings