Valentine Pot de Creme recipe

Recipe for Valentine Pot de Creme

Difficulty: Moderate
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Serves: 6

1 ½ cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 ½ teaspoons orange zest (the orange part of the peel-without any of the white portion), minced
6 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate (the best available), chopped into small pieces or grated
7 egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier

1.    Bring cream, milk, and orange zest to a boil.  Remove from heat and allow to steep for 30-45 minutes.  
2.    In a bowl, whisk the yolks, sugar, vanilla, and Grand Marnier until the mixture thickens slightly.
3.    Place chocolate in a separate bowl.
4.    Return milk/cream mixture to heat and bring back to a boil.  Pour ½ c. over the chocolate.  Stir gently until the chocolate is melted.  Add another ½ c. of the hot milk/cream mixture.  Reserve chocolate mixture.
5.    Pour the remaining hot liquid slowly on the yolk/sugar mixture, whisking constantly.  
6.    Combine the chocolate and yolk mixtures.  
7.    Using a spoon or a small ladle, skim the foam from the top of the mixture.  Ladle into custard cups.  
8.    Place the custard cups in a baking pan.  Fill the pan with lukewarm water until the water reaches ½ way up on the sides of the custard cups.  
9.    Bake in a 300° oven until the custard "sets" ( about 45-50 min.).  The custard is set if the top barely wiggles when the custard is moved.  Remove from the oven and water bath.  Let cool.  If not eaten within 2 hours, chill in refrigerator until needed.
10.    Serve with whipped cream and heart shaped cookies.