Cooking With Beer – Sierra Nevada Imperial Stout Pot De Creme

Pot de crème, plural pots de crème, is a type of French dessert custard dating to the 17th century. The name means “pot of custard” or “pot of cream”, which also refers to the porcelain cups in which the dessert is served.

And this tasty custard recipe comes our way from Chico, California-based Sierra Nevada Brewing and it uses the brewery’s brilliant Narwhal Imperial Stout, an aggressive yet refined malt-forward masterpiece from a brewery more commonly known for its Pale Ales and IPAs.

Narwhal is a terrific stout with rich notes of espresso and bakers cocoa and an essential addition to this custard. A given that you’ll have some leftover stout, it’s also the perfect companion while you’re cooking.

“Beer, coffee, chocolate and more. This is a good time in the kitchen,” said Kelly Lazarovich, Executive Pastry Chef at Sierra Nevada Brewing. “You could serve this at a dinner party where it looks like you worked really hard, but it’s pretty easy.”

So let’s do this!

Sierra Nevada Narwhal Imperial Stout Pot de Creme

Ingredients

5 ounces of Narwhal Imperial Stout

1 shot/ounce of espresso

3/4 cup of milk chocolate

1/2 cup of sugar

1 can of coconut milk (14 ounces)

2 Large eggs

 

Directions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 300° F.

Step 2

Over medium-high heat in a pot, mix the coconut milk and sugar. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.

Step 3

Whisk the eggs in a bowl, then add the coconut milk into the eggs only a couple of tablespoons at a time. (You want to prevent the eggs from curdling.) Once you’ve added half the coconut milk, pour in the rest while whisking.

Step 4

Pour the milk-egg mixture over the chocolate. Let sit for 1-2 minutes to allow chocolate to melt.

Step 5

If you have an immersion blender*, blend until everything combines. Then add Narwhal and espresso, blending until smooth. (Try not to create bubbles when using the immersion blender. Keep it under the surface of the mixture.)

*If using a handheld mixer, one additional step: pour your smooth mixture once through a fine mesh strainer.

Step 6

Let the mixture sit for a few minutes to allow any air bubbles to rise to the top. Skim off the bubbles.

Step 7

Divide the mixture into bake-proof ramekins or bowls. (We used 4-ounce ramekins and poured 3 ounces of mixture into each ramekin.)

Step 8

Set ramekins in a shallow dish. Fill the dish with hot water, stopping when the water reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekin.

Step 9

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the custard reaches 180° F in the center. No thermometer? Make sure the edges are set and the center still has a slight jiggle.

Step 10

Remove dish from oven and let sit for about 20 minutes, or until you can handle the ramekins comfortably with bare hands. Refrigerate ramekins until chilled. Top with whipped cream before serving,

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(Image credits: Sierra Nevada Brewing)