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Chocolate Crémeux Recipe

A creamy, rich Chocolate Crémeux made with bittersweet chocolate and heavy cream.
Prep Time30 minutes
chill time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 476kcal
Author: Lucy Brewer

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Crémeux

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 5 tablespoons white granulated sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa), finely chopped

To serve

  • ½ cup caramel sauce or dulce de leche
  • fresh berries: eg. Blackberries, raspberries, strawberries
  • chocolate curls

Instructions

  • In a saucepan set over medium heat, heat 1 cup whole milk and 1 cup heavy cream until just starting to bubble, but not boiling. Then remove from the heat.
    A saucepan filled with milk sits on a round woven placemat atop a dark, textured surface.
  • In a heatproof bowl that you can use as a double boiler (Bain Marie), add 5 large egg yolks, 5 tablespoons white granulated sugar, and a pinch salt. Whisk together until completely smooth.
    A glass bowl containing five egg yolks and a mound of granulated sugar, placed on a woven mat against a dark, textured background.
  • Very slowly pour in the hot milk and cream mixture, whisking as you pour. Place the bowl on top of a saucepan set over medium-high heat. This is your double boiler.
    A glass bowl filled with a pale yellow, frothy liquid sits on a woven mat atop a dark, textured surface. A cloth is partially visible in the lower left corner.
  • Use a rubber spatula to continuously stir the mixture as it heats through. At this stage, you are making a crème anglaise. It is ready when it visibly thickens and coats the back of a spoon (about 10-15 minutes).
    A hand holds a spoon above a glass bowl filled with pale yellow batter on a woven mat, set on a dark marbled surface.
  • Place 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa), finely chopped in a heatproof bowl. When the creme anglaise has thickened, pour it through a sieve over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute.
    A metal strainer with yellow liquid and lumps sits over a glass bowl on a woven mat, set on a dark, textured surface.
  • Use an immersion blender to emulsify the chocolate and creme anglaise. If you don’t have one you can stir vigorously with a rubber spatula instead. When properly mixed, the custard and chocolate will become completely smooth and unified. It will look thick and very glossy.
    A glass bowl filled with chocolate batter being mixed with an immersion blender, placed on a woven mat against a dark, textured surface.
  • Leave the Chocolate Crémeux in the bowl or pour it into a serving dish. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down so that the plastic wrap is touching the surface of the Chocolate Crémeux. Place the dish in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours but preferably overnight.
    A square dish filled with chocolate mixture covered by plastic wrap, placed on a woven mat on a dark, textured surface.
  • When the Chocolate Crémeux has set, you are ready to assemble the dessert. Heat a dessert spoon by immersing it in boiling water, then dry it off. Make chocolate quenelles by running the hot spoon across the surface of the crémeux. The action is similar to scooping out soft ice cream.
    A metal spoon scoops a portion of smooth, glossy chocolate cremeux from a pan covered with thick, swirled chocolate frosting.
  • Place the quenelle of chocolate on a dessert plate then drizzle over some caramel sauce, scatter over the berries and chocolate curls.
    A chocolate cremeux with a bite taken out, garnished with chocolate shavings and served with fresh blackberries on a ceramic plate.

Notes

  • We prefer to make Chocolate Crémeux using the double boiler method. This method ensures the custard doesn’t boil and yields a better overall texture. It will take around 15-20 minutes for the Créme Anglaise to thicken. You can judge this by eye and test the mixture by seeing whether it coats the back of a spoon. If you have a thermometer, the custard should reach 180-185oF.
  • You do not have to use a double boiler and can make the Créme Anglaise in a pan; however, it is very important that the custard is not brought to the boil.
  • If the Créme Anglaise doesn’t thicken, pour it into a saucepan, but do not allow it to boil.
  • The Créme Anglaise is poured through a sieve over the finely chopped chocolate. This is because if any egg whites were in the yolks, they would scramble as the Créme Anglaise is cooked. Sieving at this stage ensures that no stray scrambled whites enter the final product.
  • We transferred the Chocolate Crémeux into a rectangular dish to make it easier to form chocolate quenelles for serving.
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