Warm summer nights call for cool, creamy desserts! This bourbon custard needs to make the menu for your next night of dining al fresco.
After a successful career as a restaurant pastry chef in Charlotte, being named ‘Best Pastry Chef’ in the city in 2017, and acquiring a 2016 James Beard nomination for ‘Best Pastry Chef of the East Coast Region,’ Samantha Allen launched her gourmet bakery Wentworth & Fenn with her wife Cassie.
The bakery offers upscale products and confections with flavor influence from the Charleston culinary scene, local ingredients, and Allen’s nostalgia of favored childhood treats. Her current seasonal menu includes sure winners such as Honey Loaf with Chevre and Clover, along with Citrus-Bourbon Macaroons, and Roasted Tomato and Garlic Focaccia.
Our favorite? Smoky, rich, smooth, and sinfully seductive, Allen’s Bourbon and Smoked Chocolate Custard has us fully enamored with every taste. This gourmet dessert is both striking and elegant, but is a manageable masterpiece you can make at home for your next dinner party. Samantha recommends pairing the custard with a glass of Woodford Reserve neat.
Bourbon and Smoked Chocolate Custard
Ingredients
32 oz. Heavy Cream
16 oz. Half & Half
8 oz. Sugar
4 oz. Bourbon, your choice
8 oz. 70% Dark Chocolate
2 oz. 100% Cocoa Powder
3 oz. Gelatin
Instructions
Bloom gelatin in half & half. Add bloomed gelatin to Chocolate and set aside. Bring Cream, cocoa, bourbon, and sugar to a boil. Pour over bloomed gelatin and cocoa. Let sit to cool and whisk till smooth, then pour into desired molds. The custard is best if it sits overnight in cooler. Serve with honeycomb, Chantilly cream, and macadamia nuts.
