You guys, can you believe Valentine's Day is next week? Are you ready? Do you even care? I'm pretty neutral, not super into it but not against it. And I mean, if I'm being honest, it's kind of fun to have a day to that's all about telling all your loved ones you love them. I get it if you aren't a fan, it is a pretty commercial holiday. And while it is absolutely that, it's also a good excuse to eat sweets, share cute cards, and tell everyone you love them. I can get down with that. 

What I'm not ok with is the ridiculous ritual of trying to get that impossible reservation, squeezing in to a packed restaurant, and paying a pretty penny to do so. I'm totally in favor of the staying in and cooking up a romantic dinner. And making these Bittersweet Chocolate & Blood Orange Pots de Cremes with Maple Bourbon Whipped Cream make it v v easy to throw together a beautiful meal on the main day because you can make them the day before or you can get them started before you start prepping your meal and not worry about figuring out your oven schedule because you can cook them sous vide (meaning you don't have to use your oven)!! And it is so so fun to make them sous vide. If you haven't cooked sous vide before, let me tell you a little bit about it. 

If you think of all your favorite chefs, chances are they're using sous vide in some capacity. So what is it? Basically it's a way of cooking that involves dropping your sealed ingredients into a temperature-regulated water bath, and cooking it with the low and slow heat of the water. It pretty much ensures perfect results every time. I mean think perfectly medium-rare pink steaks, custardy egg yolks, and silky fish. It's super badass. And Nomiku makes the smallest and most powerful immersion circulator out there. They're making science super accessible to all of us at home. All you have to do is clip it to a pot you already own or a polycarbonate storage container like the one you see above, fill up your water bath, drop in your ingredients, set Nomiku to the right temperature, and check back after the specified time. That's it. Ridiculous. And you get to feel super sciency. I'm kind of obsessed. 

And while I'm obsessed and I wish I could give everyone I know a Nomiku, I realize not everyone has one, so I've got two versions of this recipe and guess what they're both super simple! 

Bittersweet Chocolate & Blood Orange Pots de Creme with Maple Bourbon Whipped Cream

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

POTS DE CREME

• 1 c. heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 c. milk (you can use whole, 2% or even a nut milk)
• Juice of one blood orange
• 2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
• 3.5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 large egg yolks
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

WHIPPED CREAM

• 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream, chilled
• 1 Tbsp. bourbon
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla bean paste

TOOLS

• Nomiku (Sous Vide)
• Cambro polycarbonate square food storage container, 12 qt. OR large stockpot (Sous Vide)
• 4 wide mouth half pint (8 oz.) mason jars
• Small saucepan
• Whisk
• Heatproof silicone spatula
• Fine mesh strainer
• Large stand mixer
• Deep baking dish (Oven method)
• Wire rack
• Glass measuring cup
• Measuring cups & spoons

FIX

POTS DE CREME (Sous Vide)

1. Set up your Nomiku water bath in your Cambro container, clipping your Nom to the inside corner of the container and filling till your water level reaches just above the min line on your Nom. Preheat to 82°C. 
2. While water bath is warming up, whisk heavy whipping cream, milk, blood orange, granulated sugar, and salt in small saucepan over medium heat. Continue mixing with spatula until mixture is simmering, the remove from heat. Whisk in chopped chocolate until smooth and completely melted. Let mixture cool for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk in one egg yolk at a time then add 2 dashes of Angostura bitters and whisk again. Strain through fine mesh strainer. Divide mixture evenly between the 4 mason jars and screw on lids.
3. Put all 4 jars in your Cambro container, removing water if necessary (if level will be over the max amount) and sous vide for 35 minutes.
4. After 35 minutes, carefully remove jars from water bath and let cool. Once cooled, move to refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours or until set.

POTS DE CREME (Oven Method)

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. 
2. Whisk heavy whipping cream, milk, blood orange, granulated sugar, and salt in small saucepan over medium heat. Continue mixing with spatula until mixture is simmering, the remove from heat. Whisk in chopped chocolate until smooth and completely melted. Let mixture cool for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk in one egg yolk at a time then add 2 dashes of Angostura bitters and whisk again. Strain through fine mesh strainer. Divide mixture evenly between the 4 mason jars.
3. Set jars in baking dish and fill pan with hot water until water reaches halfway up jars. Bake for 45 minutes.
4. Remove from pan and set on wire rack to cool. Once cooled, move to refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours or until set.

WHIPPED CREAM

1. While your pots de cremes are chilling, chill the bowl of your stand mixer for at least 10 minutes. Remove once chilled and combine all ingredients and mix with whisk attachment on medium until soft peaks form.
2. Spoon on tops of pots de creme and top with additional toppings (like zest, sprinkles, etc.) if desired.
3. Serve and enjoy!!

Full disclosure: Nomiku sent me my awesome Nom to test. All opinions are my own and I totally love my Nom so so much!!