Pots de Crème and Macaroons

A delicious dessert

Chocolate Pots de Crème and Almond Macaroons Recipe:

CHOCOLATE PÔTS DE CRÈME

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 vanilla bean, split
4 ounces chocolate (optional)
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1⁄3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bring cream, milk and vanilla (and, if desired, chocolate) just to a boil, then remove from heat and allow to infuse for 30 minutes. Whisk eggs, yolks and sugar together until frothy. Reheat the milk mixture, then add slowly to the egg mixture, whisking all the while. Strain and pour into ramekins. Place the ramekins in a 13×9×3-inch pan, and pour about an inch of water into the pan. Bake in the water bath until the custards are wobbly, about 30 minutes. Chill for 3 hours or overnight.

ALMOND MACAROONS

1⁄2 pound almond paste
1⁄2 cup sugar
2 egg whites
1⁄2 pound slivered almonds or whole pine nuts

Preheat oven to 350. Break the almond paste into pieces with sugar in a bowl until evenly combined. Beat whites into soft peaks. Stir in a little of the whites into the almond paste mixture to moisten it, then fold in the rest. Roll the dough into balls, and then roll the balls in the nuts, pressing the nuts in. Bake 1 inch apart for 15–17 minutes.