Minnesota Beach Babe: Happy Valentine's Day or Chocolate Lovers Day!

Hello everyone! I hope you're all celebrating this fun holiday with your loved ones. I celebrated last night with my husband, in which I cooked us some New York steaks, mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. We also opened an amazing bottle of wine we received as a wedding present and enjoyed some decadently rich Chocolate Pot de Cremes. These are super easy to make and the nice thing is that you can make them the day ahead if you need to.

These are so rich and chocolaty, you'll never go back to instant pudding.

Ingredients for Chocolate Pot de Cremes:

9 ounces high-quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

6 large egg yolks

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2-3 tablespoons of Grand Marnier or other kind of flavored liqueur (optional)

Ingredients for Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Whipped Cream:

Place whipping cream, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Using the whisk attachment or hand-held mixer, beat till stiff peaks form. You don't want to over mix or else it'll become butter. Place in refrigerator till ready to serve. (I like to make extra so I have some for topping my coffee, pancakes, or anything else I want)

For Pot de Cremes:

Add chopped chocolate in the bottom of a blender

Gather ingredients for the custard base

Place the milk, cream, sugar, salt, egg yolks and Grand Marnier in a medium stock pot. Whisk everything together and then using a heatproof spatula, stir constantly over medium heat. You want to cook for about 5 minutes, until the custard is thick and just before boiling.

Once the custard is finished, immediately place in the blender with the chocolate. Cover the blender, but make sure there is a small hole in the lid, and cover with a heavy towel. You need somewhere for the steam to go or else the blender will explode when you turn it on.