The Family Table
Springtime! It is so good to see you!
W
ith the arrival of longer days and warmer weather, I start looking for fast and easy suppers that take little prep time so that I can enjoy being outside. Let me share two recipes with you that are fast to make and fabulous to eat! Today is my daughter-in-love Charli’s birthday. She requested shrimp, veggies, and trimmings for tacos. Joe will cook the shrimp and veggies on his Blackstone Griddle, and I am in charge of dessert. Charli loves chocolate. I am making Pot de Creme, a rich and decadent chocolate custard. Pot de Creme sounds fancy, which sometimes translates to hard to make, but not so with this dessert. In less than 20 minutes, plus the cooking time, you can have a fabulous dessert. Prepare by chopping and weighing 5 ounces of high-quality semi-sweet chocolate (very important to use semi-sweet!) Chocolate chips from the baking aisle at the grocery store will give you a delicious Pot de Creme, but use the best quality you can get. Make sure to weigh or measure the chocolate as accurately as you can. Heat a quart of water and hold it over low heat until you are ready for it. Crack six eggs, separating the whites and reserving for another use. Place the yolks in a medium-sized bowl. Add 1/3 C of sugar to the yolks and whisk until the yolks and sugar are frothy. In a medium saucepan, warm 1.5 C of heavy cream and 1 C of whole milk, adding the chopped chocolate. Stir over low heat, just until the chocolate has melted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Temper your eggs by adding a small amount of the chocolate and cream mixture while whisking. Continue to slowly add in the warm milk and chocolate until the eggs are up in temperature. Mix all of the chocolate and cream with the eggs and sugar and continue to stir. Add 1 tsp of vanilla and optionally, 1 tsp of espresso powder or instant coffee. Allow this mixture to rest for 10 minutes. Place 6- six-ounce ramekins in a baking pan. Fill each ramekin equally with the chocolate mixture. Add hot water in the pan to reach half-way up on the sides of the ramekins. Cover each one tightly with foil—place in a 325-degree oven. Check at 45 minutes. The middle should be jiggly, with the edges somewhat firm. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate before serving. They are better cold. Serve the Pot de Creme with sweetened whipped cream and raspberry sauce. This sauce will be your go-to for dressing up simple desserts. It is marvelous with icecream or brownies and effortless to make. In a medium saucepan, add a 10-12 ounce bag of frozen raspberries and 1/3 C of water. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Strain berries to remove some or all of the seeds as you please. Add the juice back to the pot and over low heat, add 3/4C of sugar. Allow the sugar to melt. Add 1 Tbsp of corn starch with 2 Tbsp of water and
Lorie Thompson is a REALTOR at Poss Realty in Clayton, Georgia. Her expertise in her industry is second only to her culinary talents. Lorie is a dynamo in the kitchen. Honestly if she prepares it, it will likely be the best you’ve ever had! Lorie and her husband, Anthony (Peanut), make their home in the Persimmon Community. She is the proud mother of Joe Thompson and Kendall Thompson.
38 GML - April 2021
