Pots de Crème {Pass the Cookbook}

I joined the fun for the Pass the Cookbook series kicked off by Kita, the culinary force behind the Pass the Sushi blog.

Her goal: cook from some unused cookbooks on her shelf...and get some other foodies to join her. Sign me up! "Hello, my name is Camilla and I'm addicted to collecting cookbooks."

I solved my crowded shelves a bit differently than Kita - giving them away with gift baskets to local friends this year - but I'm game to join her fun.

Kita dusted off her copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier by Ree Drummond and picked three recipes from which we needed to cook (I've included links to the recipes on Ree's website): Perfect Potatoes Au Gratin, Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin, and - the recipe I ending up selecting - Pots de Crème.

I swapped out espresso for "very strong coffee" otherwise I stayed true to the original ingredients. I did, however, change the procedure a bit, skipping the blender all together and doing more of a ganache process.

12 oz semisweet chocolate chips

4 eggs, at room temp

2 t pure vanilla extract

8 oz espresso

1 C organic heavy cream

2 T organic granulated sugar

Heat the heavy cream and sugar in a small saucepan. When the sugar is dissolved and bubbles start to form - but before it boils - remove the pan from the heat and pour in the chocolate chips. Let sit for 3 minutes. Whisk till smooth. Whisk the eggs, vanilla, and espresso together in a large mixing bowl. Slowly add the chocolate mixture to the eggs. Pour the mixture into small mason jars, pretty glasses, or demitasse cups. Place on a tray and refrigerate for 2 - 3 hours or until firm.

That's it for this round. Click for the facebook group of bloggers who are participating. We're cooking from Guy Fieri's book next month. Will it be Cherry Cobbler Pizza, Asian Fried Quinoa, or the Snakebite?!? Hmmm...I'm still deciding.