Recipe: Cannabis-Infused Pots de Crème

Cannabis confections are not difficult to make. But honestly, the tradition of special brownies or cookies are comfortable recipes that confine the truly versatile catalog of cannabis-infused consumables to a single baked binary.

So, to elevate this noble herb, I leaned on my local Public Broadcasting Service (aka PBS), America’s Test Kitchen, and my brief stint at a bakery to whip up cannabis-infused “Pots” de Crème, adapted from this recipe.

Cannabis-Chocolate “Pots” de Crème

Start to finish: 4 hours 40 minutes (active: 20 minutes)

Yields: 8 servings

Approximate dosage: 40mg per serving (see directions for info on decreasing potency)

Materials

• 8 small jars, glasses, or ramekins
• 1 whisk
• 2 medium mixing bowls
• 1 mesh strainer
• 1 medium sauce pot
• 1 spatula
• 2 small bowls, for your egg yolks and whites
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Plastic wrap

Ingredients

• 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 5 large egg yolks
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
• ¾ cup half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
• 500mg (0.5g) activated full-plant extract (such as RSO), or less for lower potency

Directions

1. Place bittersweet chocolate in one medium mixing bowl. You will be combining your hot ingredients and your concentrate in this bowl later in the recipe, so be sure it’s heatproof. Place a fine-mesh strainer over the bowl and set aside.
2. Separate yolks and eggs whites into two different bowls. Cover and refrigerate egg whites for later use or discard.
3. Whisk yolks, sugar, and salt in the other medium bowl until fully incorporated. Slowly add in half-and-half and heavy cream. Gently whisk mixture until smooth, trying not to create too many air bubbles in the process.
4. Transfer mixture to medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with spatula. The mixture should slowly thicken over 8–12 minutes of constant agitation. Your custard is ready when your spatula holds a streak through the mixture or when mixture temperature reaches 175˚ to 180˚F.
5. Immediately pour hot custard through strainer. This catches any milk particulates that may have formed during cooking.
6. Mix in 500mg whole-plant extract (RSO) for high potency, 300mg for medium-high potency, or 100mg for average potency. Whisk in RSO until fully incorporated into the chocolate (don’t under-stir, or you may end up with some servings significantly stronger than others).
7. Gently whisk in vanilla and espresso before dividing mixture evenly into your ramekins, jars, or cups. Gently tap containers against the counter to remove any air bubbles that may have formed during mixing.
8. Cool pots de crème to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 72 hours. Press plastic wrap to the mixture to prevent custard from developing a skin. Garnish as desired and serve cold.

To Garnish

Serve with whipped cream and chocolate-covered cocoa nibs (which can found at Trader Joe’s and other natural groceries). If you can’t find nibs, chocolate shavings (even infused ones, if you want to up your potency), work great too.

Pro Tips

• To calculate approximate potency, multiply the potency of your RSO by the number of milligrams you used in your recipe. For ours, 500mg x 65% RSO potency = 325mg activated THC, and divided by eight servings, we ended with about 40mg per serving.
• Start low and go slow. Less in more when it comes to cannabis-infused edibles. THC’s effects feel more potent when the THC is processed by the liver rather than inhaled, and full-body effects can be both surprising and overwhelming for unseasoned consumers. This doesn’t mean edibles are off the tables, but rather, that they should be respected. Start small, eat half a crème and wait an hour or two, and then decide whether you need a full serving.
• I recommend not eating edibles on an empty stomach. While doing so may expedite their effects and make the impact louder, the longevity of the experience will be severally truncated. Being aware of the amount of food in your belly and your relative metabolism will help you dial in the perfect dose for you. Just listen to your body, baby, and enjoy yourself!