Strawberry Pot de Creme for Two
The perfect dessert for two: Strawberry Pots de Creme! A sweet, simple French dessert custard made with homemade strawberry syrup, heavy whipping cream, egg yolks, vanilla bean, and a dash of salt. These pots de creme are perfect for a special celebration or just because. Serve them in individual custard ramekins and top them with a splash of homemade strawberry syrup!
After making Maple Pots de Creme a few weeks ago, my husband couldn't stop raving about them. Usually, when I make desserts, I get a little bit of grumbling for tempting him with sweet treats. But those pots de creme? No grumbling at all.
I knew as soon as I made the maple version that I had to figure out how to make a strawberry version in time for Valentine's Day. My first version of this recipe, I tried to use strawberry jelly in the custard. The result wasn't bad, but it also wasn't quite right. I wanted to try to replicate what the maple syrup did in the custard, so I decided to make my own strawberry syrup that could work as a substitute for the maple syrup.
I love when I expect something to be difficult and it turns out to be pretty simple. It turns out that making strawberry syrup is that way.
This syrup is also perfect for drizzling on top of the pots de creme, I like to have a little bit of strawberry syrup with every bite of custard.
Leftover strawberry syrup? Try these Strawberry Lemon Drop Martinis.
Because this sauce is homemade and not store-bought, the sweetness is controlled rather than overpowering. The thing I love about pots de creme is that they are indulgent without being too sweet. Even this version with a bit of refined sugar has the perfect balance of indulgent and sweet. Because they aren't too sweet, you can serve them in bigger ramekins and indulge without the guilt!
I got these for Christmas this year and was just dying for a recipe that I could use them for. Are they not just the cutest? They would be perfect for a fancy Valentine's Day dinner. Make these cast iron skillet steaks, creamy mushroom polenta and Strawberry Pots de Creme for dessert!
When I attended a fall desserts cooking class at Sur la Table a few months back, maple pot de creme was on the menu along with a pumpkin tart and chocolate soufflé. I was most intimidated by the idea of making pot de creme! It just sounded so fancy and scary. But it turned out to be the easiest of all the desserts we made and it was also the best-tasting dessert 😉
Another fun dessert idea is this tequila bread pudding!
I honestly think the most complicated part of this recipe is just separating the egg yolks from the egg whites (for which I highly recommend this ). Other than that, you have to steam some milk, boil water and strawberries and strain out the sauce, and stir together some other ingredients. It may sound like I'm oversimplifying this recipe, but I'm telling the truth, it really is that easy!
Recommended Tools:
Ceramic Baking Dish
Fine Mesh Strainer
Large Measuring Cup
custard cups
Vanilla Bean Paste
Wire Cooling Rack
Ready to make your own Strawberry Pot de Creme?
If you make this recipe or you're thinking about making this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below to let me know!
Strawberry Pots de Creme for Two
Ingredients
Strawberry Syrup
- 1 ½ cups strawberries hulled
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
Strawberry Pot de Creme for Two
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 6 large egg yolks
- ¾ cup strawberry syrup recipe above
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Strawberry Syrup
- Heat the sugar and water in a medium saucepan on low to medium heat.
- Once sugar has dissolved in water, add strawberries to pan.
- Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.
- Return the syrup to the pot and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes to thicken sauce.
- Allow sauce to come to room temperature before refrigerating. Sauce can be warm for pots de creme.
- Strawberry Pot de Creme for Two
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Place a small kitchen towel on the bottom of a ceramic baking dish and place dishes on top of towel.
- Bring about 2 cups of water to a boil in a tea kettle or saucepan. Keep hot.
- In a medium saucepan, bring cream to a simmer. Keep an eye on the cream so that it does not boil over.
- In a bowl, gently crack eggs (2-3 at a time) and use an egg separator to separate the yolk from the egg carefully. You can also do this by hand with the egg shells by slowly pouring the yolk back and forth between the egg shells, letting the egg whites fall into the bowl.
- Once separated, place the six egg yolks in a large bowl. Whisk together yolks with salt and vanilla paste.
- Whisk strawberry syrup into hot cream.
- Slowly pour in hot cream mixture into egg mixture, whisking vigorously while pouring in cream.
- Pour the mixture evenly into the custard cups, leaving about ¼ inch space at the top of each. Pour the boiling water into the baking dish enough to cover half of the custard dishes. Loosely cover with foil and place the pan in the oven.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes until custard is no longer liquid but still slightly wobbly when gently shaken. Cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack. Then cool and refrigerate for 2 hours up to overnight.
- When ready to serve, serve chilled with a pour of strawberry syrup on top.
These are SO CUTE! I wish my hubby would make these for me on Valentine's Day! <3
Thank you!! Send him a subtle hint with the link 😉
This looks ah-mazing! I love that you made your own Strawberry syrup too.
Thank you!! It was super fun making the syrup. I want to try making it with just honey next time instead of sugar!