Saffron Honey Pots De Crème, gINGER Sweet Vermouth Orange marmalade

I remember the first time I had pot de crème so vividly. I was at a friend’s house when I was maybe 8 years old. Their mom loved cooking so much I think I was more excited to see what her after school snack of choice would be rather than playing with my friends. One day, the after school snack happened to be a dark chocolate pot de crème.

It was so cold, creamy, rich, perfectly bitter and sweet. I was so infatuated with the dessert and remember thinking it must be really hard to make because of how fancy it is. Finding out it’s really just a basic custard was a dream. Now, I—and you—can have this deliciously creamy, silky, sweet custard whenever we want. Well, 3 hours from whenever we want.

I had some saffron leftover from a recipe I made months ago and wanted to put it to good use. It can easily be omitted though, leaving you with a honey-vanilla custard that is just as divine.

Orange and sweet vermouth is a classic combination in my book, so adding a touch of vermouth to orange marmalade seemed like the perfect way to spice it up a little. The ginger adds a subtle kick as well and pairs really nicely with the vermouth. All together, the honey, saffron, ginger, vermouth, orange, and white chocolate blend together to make a dreamy, palate-awakening dessert.

Saffron Honey Pots De Crème, Candied Ginger + Sweet Vermouth Orange Marmalade

Serves 4-6 | Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour | Rest Time: 3 hours

Saffron Honey Pots De Crème:

·       1/2 cup whole milk

·      3/4 cup heavy cream

·       1/2 tsp. saffron strands

·       1/3 cup honey

·       1 tsp. vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean

·       1/8 tsp. salt

·       1 tbs. granulated sugar

·       3 egg yolks

·       White chocolate bar, shavings for garnish

Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Prepare a deep baking dish (like one suitable for a square cake) with a damp towel on the bottom and 4-6 ramekins (depending on size) set on top. Bring a pot of water to a boil.

Separately, in a saucepan over medium heat, bring the milk, cream, saffron, honey, vanilla, and salt to a simmer until the saffron has turned the mixture a pale orange. Beat the egg yolks with the 1 tbs. sugar until light and pale in color. Strain and ladle a small amount of the milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking quickly so the eggs don’t scramble. Do this until the eggs have come up to temp with the milk mixture, then quickly whisk in the rest of the milk mixture all at once until the mixture is smooth. Pour into the ramekins so that it fills them a little bit more than ¾ the way. Carefully and slowly pour the hot water into the baking dish around the ramekins until it reaches halfway up the ramekins – be extra careful not the get water into the ramekins.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the sides are set and the center is still jiggly. Remove from oven, let cool completely in the water bath, and move to the refrigerator to chill completely before serving, at least 2-3 hours.

Remove from fridge as soon as you are ready to serve. Top with the chilled Candied Ginger + Sweet Vermouth Orange Marmalade (see recipe below) and white chocolate shavings.

Candied Ginger + Sweet Vermouth Orange Marmalade:

·       2 oranges

·       1 ½ inch. knob fresh ginger

·       1 cup granulated sugar

·       ½ lemon, juiced

·       1 star anise

·       2 cloves

·       ¼ cup water

·       3 tbs. sweet vermouth

·       Pinch salt

Peel the oranges to completely remove the rind, keeping as much pith (the white part) on the oranges as possible. Finely slice/julienne the orange peels into strips and set aside. 

Remove the pith from the rest of the orange completely by cutting around the border of the orange lengthwise to remove all the white parts while keeping the flesh in-tact. Slice the remaining oranges into 3 discs each widthwise.

Add both the thinly sliced peel and the orange slices into a saucepan with all other ingredients except vermouth. Give a quick stir, bring to a simmer, add the vermouth, stir, and let simmer until it is a glassy, glossy, syrup-y consistency. It’ll thicken much more as it cools, so don’t reduce it to a point where it is fully thickened and jammy. To test this: place a plate in the freezer to get really cold. Put a spoonful of the hot marmalade on the cold plate. If it solidifies on the plate to a jammy consistency, it’s done. If it runs down the plate, it needs to reduce more.

Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate until ready to use.