Blood Orange & Aperol Pot de Creme

Y’all. This dessert. I came across a picture of this dessert, along with the recipe, in a Food 52 catalog and had to try it! It is such a beautiful presentation and the flavors are creamy and bright and surprising. While there are a few steps, it is quite simple to make and you can make the custard one day and the top layer the next. I urge you to wow your guests with something a little different. This dessert feels special! You’ll love it!

Adapted slightly from a Food52 recipe.

2 cups heavy cream

2/3 cup milk

1/2  teaspoon kosher salt

2/3 cup plus 4 tablespoons sugar, divided

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

7 large egg yolks

2 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin

1 2/3 cups blood orange juice (strained of pulp) or try grapefruit if you can’t find

1/2 cup Aperol

Optional garnishes: blood orange slices, whipped cream

1. Heat the oven to 300°F. In a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. In a saucepan, bring to a simmer the cream, milk, salt, 2/3 cup sugar, and vanilla, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Stream the hot cream mixture into the bowl with the yolks, whisking continuously until all the liquid is incorporated. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl.

2. Place 8 ramekins in a large oven-proof baking dish and pour custard three-quarters of the way full into each. Place the baking dish in the oven and add enough warm water to reach halfway up the ramekin sides. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until the edges are set but it still has a little wobble (mine took 40 minutes…all ovens are different). Set aside to cool to room temp before stashing in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour.

3. When the custards are done cooling, prepare the jelly. In a small saucepan off the heat, evenly sprinkle the gelatin over the  juice and let sit for 2 minutes to soften. Begin to gently warm the saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the gelatin. Remove from heat and add the Aperol and 4 tablespoons sugar to the pan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Let the jelly cool slightly, then SLOWLY  pour over the custards, filling most of the way up. Return the ramekins to the fridge and chill until set, 2 to 4 hours. Optional: Add a slice of fresh orange before the jelly sets--or a dollop of whipped cream once out of the fridge.