Here is a lovely chocolate pots de creme recipe that I modified for use at one of the restaurants I worked in. While many pots de creme recipes are made to be baked in a water bath, this little delight is done on the stove top and thickens in the fridge.
2arbol chilis, split and seeded (or other small, hot-ish dried chiles)
heavy pinch of salt
cayenne pepper, to taste 1/4-1/2 teaspoon
6large egg yolks
1cupsugar, taken to medium-dark caramel (you don't have to caramelize the sugar, but the flavor will be much deeper and more complex if you do)
6oz. good quality semi-sweet chocolate, cut into small pieces, or good quality chocolate chips
2teaspoonsvanilla
½teaspoonground cinnamon
Instructions
Put the chocolate in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a pot that is much larger than you think you need, bring the sugar to a boil with a little bit of water.
Cover the pot and let the steam wash the sugar crystals off the sides of the pan.
Over medium heat, let the sugar cook until it starts to change colors. Gently swirl the pan once the sugar starts to turn. As it turns honey-colored, you can stir with heat resistant spatula or a wooden spoon.
Once the sugar is the color of maple syrup (using a white silicone spatula makes it easy to tell), stand back and pour in the cream and half and half. There will be a lot of sputtering and vigorous boiling, and the caramel may get all hard if your cream is very cold. Say, "Oh, settle down," and stir over medium-low heat until the caramel is nice and smooth.
Add a judicious amount of salt, dried chiles and cayenne pepper. Don't worry, you can add more later if you need to. Let this mixture steep for about half an hour.
Whir the still warm mixture in a blender, then strain through a fine mesh strainer back into the pot.
Whisk yolks in a bowl. Reheat the strained caramel mixture, and temper into the yolks.
Heat this mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened slightly. Don't let it boil.
Strain this mixture into the bowl of chocolate.
Add the vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
Taste. At this point, you can add a pinch more of cinnamon, salt and/or cayenne if it needs it. Whisk well to combine.
Pour into wee cups--demitasse cups are nice--this stuff is really rich, so 2-3 oz. should be plenty. You can eat this warm, but it is really wonderful chilled, as well.
Notes
This pudding is soft-set, so don't expect it to be as firm as, say, flan. It should be about the consistency of, and I'm sorry for this comparison, Snack Pack Pudding.