Pôts de Crème

This is a secret family recipe, handed down to me from my mother. It's also not really a secret. It is, however, delicious and easy. Also: Pots de Creme. There, now we can search for it.

Ingredients:

• 12oz chocolate chips (preferably semi-sweet or bittersweet, depending on your tastes.)
  
• 1tsp vanilla extract
  
• 1/4tsp almond extract (optional)
  
• 3 egg yolks
  
• 1c milk
  
• 1tbsp butter (optional - if you use skim milk you MIGHT want to add this, otherwise don't.)
  

Put the chocolate chips in a blender. Just put them there. Throw in the egg yolks and the vanilla (and almond, if you're using it). Now pour the milk (and butter) into a sauce pan and proceed to heat until the butter melts (and then just a little longer). If you're not using butter, heat it until you think it will melt chocolate chips. Just make sure you keep stirring it. If it reaches a boil, just take it off the heat and let it cool for a few seconds. The idea is to melt the chips and not scramble the eggs - you just want to make the eggs thicken a little.

Anyway, turn the blender on and slowly pour the milk in while it's running. When it's pretty smooth in consistency, turn off the blender and divide it into a bunch of little glasses - demi-tasse glasses work very nicely, as do things like brandy snifters or any small wine-glass type things. Chill for about an hour. When they're fairly stiff, you're done. Serve with optional whipped cream (preferably home made.)

Thoughts: This is ridiculously easy to make, and you could probably do minor alterations. I have thought of putting a cinnamon stick in the milk while I'm heating it or adding chile powder at some point in the process. Do NOT use cheap chocolate for this. I like Girardelli, as it has a vanilla-y taste. Definitely stay away from Hershey's, Baker's, and Nestle. They just won't work well. Trust me. Roundy's isn't too bad, actually, but neither is it great.

I use skim milk for this and SOMETIMES add a little butter, my mother uses 1% and adds no butter. More fat doesn't necessarily make it better - you have to experiment and see what you like. You could probably use heavy whipping cream if you were so inclined, though I don't know if I'd recommend it.

Disaster Index: 1/10 - This is a must, and it's practically fool-proof. Except once we tried to chill them outside when we had no room in the freezer and a squirrel destroyed about eight of them. Don't let this happen to you.