Recipe(tried): Chocolate - Orange Pots De Creme

I made this for Valentines Day. Oh my goodness! It was sooo delicious:-) I halved the recipe since I was just making it for DH and myself and it worked just fine. It made four instead of eight. The recipe is from Bon Appetit magazine, Dec. 1997.

"Parisians love chocolate, and cooks in Paris might make this with Valrhona, one of the best French brands." (of chocolate) "Begin preparing the dessert a day ahead."

Chocolate - Orange Pots De Creme

3 cups whipping cream
8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 Tbl. orange liquer (I used Grand Marnier)

1/2 c. whole milk
2 Tbl. grated orange peel
2 vanilla beans, split lenghtwise
8 large egg yolks
7 Tbl. sugar

Bring 1 c. cream to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until smooth. Whisk in 2 Tbl. orange liquor. Spoon 1 Tbl. mixture into each of eight 3/4 c. custard cups. Place cups in freezer. Reserve remaining chocolate mixture.

Combine milk, peel and 2 c. cream in medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla beans; add beans. Bring to simmer. Whisk yolks and sugar in large bowl to blend. Whisk hot cream mixture into yolk mixture. Let stand 30 minutes. Strain through fine sieve set over medium bowl, pressing on solids. Whisk 2 Tbl. orange liquor into custard.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Ladle custard over chocolate in cups. Place cups in large baking pan. Pour enough hot water into pan to come halfway up sides of cups. Bake until custards are set, about 50 minutes. Remove cups from water. Stir (leftover)chocolate mixture over low heat until just pourable if necessary. Spoon generous 1 Tbl. chocolate mixture over each. Chill overnight. Serve cold.

Makes 8.