Salted Maple Pot de Creme with Bourbon Whipped Cream is proof positive that not all decadent desserts involve chocolate.
salted maple pot de creme is for you guys who appreciate the finer points of dessert
You aren’t taken in by a mile high chocolate cake or a pile of sprinkles. You’re looking for nuanced flavor and texture, with subtle surprises like a touch of sea salt and a thick creaminess that lingers on the tongue. If that’s you, you’ve stumbled on a winner. This salted maple pot de creme is a decadent pudding for grownups, a sensuous dessert perfect for Valentine’s Day, date night, or any time you need a little extra coddling.
Salted maple pot de creme is a great recipe for anytime you’re having guests or want to serve something special but don’t have a lot of time because it’s so much simpler to make than cake, pie, or cookies. There are a few different ways to make it, and this is one of my favorites because it comes together on the stove top. You stir it in a saucepan over medium heat until it starts to thicken, just like a pudding, and you don’t have to slosh around with a water bath. It fully thickens after it chills, and I like to make it ahead and leave it overnight. Plus, because it doesn’t cook in the oven, you can use your favorite cute little bowls, cups, or glasses to serve it in, they don’t have to be oven safe.
I love maple and I hate to see it disappear after the fall and winter holidays. It can be tricky to cook with, though, because the flavor is so delicate, and maple syrup isn’t a concentrated source of it. The maple in this pot de creme is very much like caramel, but you could emphasize it by using a dark Grade B syrup, which will have a slightly stronger flavor, and maybe even use maple sugar in place of the brown sugar. Lastly, a bit of good maple extract will amp up the flavor. Maple sugar and extract can be hard to find, but King Arthur Flour sells both here and here. If you love maple like I do it’s worth keeping both in stock.
The inspiration for this salted maple pot de creme was one I had at a little French restaurant last month on my birthday — I was already plotting to recreate it before it even arrived at the table. After experimenting a bit on my own, the best formula I found was from Tasting Table. They happened to do it with a bourbon whipped cream, too, I guess that’s a natural combo. Anyway, this isn’t your everyday dessert, but for a very special occasion it’s just the thing. I didn’t sweeten the whipped cream at all, which helps a tiny bit to offset the richness of the whole thing. (Nice try, Sue )
Expect all conversation to come to a screeching halt when you bring this to the table…
Maple is such a versatile flavor, and I love to cook with it. My Maple Oat Nut Scones are a Starbucks copy cat recipe that continues to be a family favorite in our house, and I use the maple nut combination again in these Maple Walnut Shortbread Cookies.
other pot de cremes…
- Salted Caramel Pot de Crème
- Pumpkin Pot de Crème (with maple whipped cream)
- Dark Chocolate Pot de Creme (made in the blender!)
- Grapefruit Blossom Pot de Creme
Salted Maple Pot de Creme with Bourbon Whipped Cream
Equipment
- 4 small serving glasses or jars
Ingredients
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
bourbon whipped cream
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp bourbon
- 1 Tbsp confectioner’s sugar
garnish
- sea salt
- freshly grated nutmeg, optional
Instructions
- Whisk the yolks, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla bean paste, salt, and heavy cream together in a heavy saucepan and heat over medium to medium high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and starts to thicken.
- Pour through a mesh sieve and then fill 3 or 4 small cups, bowls, or remekins with the hot mixture. let cool and then refrigerate until fully chilled and firmed up, at least several hours or overnight.
bourbon whipped cream
- Whip the heavy cream, bourbon, and sugar together until soft peaks form.
Notes
- I used all cream, but you can probably get away with using part whole milk or half and half.
- Use a little bit of maple extract if you want to boost the maple flavor.
- Whipped cream is very versatile and can be flavored in so many ways. If you don’t want to use Bourbon you can use any other liqueur, maple extract, vanilla, nutmeg, or whatever you like.
Nutrition
Make this salted maple pot de creme your own ~
- I used all cream, but you can probably get away with using part whole milk or half and half.
- Use a little bit of maple extract if you want to boost the maple flavor.
- Whipped cream is very versatile and can be flavored in so many ways. If you don’t want to use Bourbon you can use any other liqueur, maple extract, vanilla, nutmeg, or whatever you like.
Thanks for pinning!
I’ll throw the chocolate out if I can have this dessert! How wonderful and beautiful and the bourbon whipped cream is like icing on the cake! Sharing 🙂
This is pot de creme perfection in my books! Love every thing about it from top to bottom and I think I just need to make this on the weekend 🙂
Sorry, I’m not familiar with Vanilla Bean Paste.Can we buy it or is there a way to make it?
Thanks for your help.
Gonna make this as soon as I figure our the vanilla bean paste thing.
Sounds AMAZING!!!!!
You can certainly substitute vanilla extract or the seeds from an actual vanilla bean Pat, but I love the convenience of vanilla bean paste, and you can most reliably get it online, here’s a link to it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=aps&keywords=vanilla%20bean%20paste&linkCode=as2&tag=thvifrthgris-20&linkId=XSVRXSZVHPRZUVFE
You had me at bourbon whipped cream, what a treat!
I think that might be my favorite part too 😉 Thanks for stopping by Laura.
I feel like I am both of the dessert people you described. Like, give me all the sprinkles and mile high cakes, but also give me the pots de creme, ya know? 🙂 And even though I am usually guilty of sticking to chocolate, these salted maple pots are calling my name. I LOVE these flavors you have going on. Such a beautiful and sophisticated dessert! Pinning!
I’m an everything dessert person too, who am I kidding, who’s going to turn up their nose at a chocolate cake??
Oh, wow, this is just brilliant! Very clever use of flavors — very original. Thanks!
Happy belated Birthday, Sue!!
This looks like a perfect dessert to end a meal!
Thanks Angie!
I absolutely adore Pot de Cremes. I used to work in a French restaurant and we always had them on the menu and I would lust after them – always hoping we had leftovers for the staff to eat. But now that I’m thinking about it, I don’t know if I’ve ever had one that wasn’t chocolate. So I can’t wait to try this out, Sue! I love maple everything!
Most restaurants do serve the chocolate pots, but there are endless variations you can do with the basic formula, hope you enjoy this one Liz.
Happy belated birthday!!
Sue.every time I see a petit pot..I fall in love..now that would be a great Valentine’s gift..a little 6 pack:)
Thanks Monique, and that would be a great gift 🙂
This is just delightful Sue and that last picture just about took my breath away. I’m going to make this for my family for Valentines!
That’s so sweet of you to say, this was really popular around here, people were falling over themselves to be taste testers.