Classy, creamy, smooth and rich, this simplifed pot de crème (a fancy French custard that is baked and chilled) is amazing. Simply amazing.
Not only is it easy to make but it tastes like you are eating something so ethereally creamy and luscious, you’ll swear some gourmet live-in chef who works 7 days a week for free and who’s been to culinary school and back made this for you.
I was intrigued by the name of this dessert when Hollie, a reader, sent it to me and was thrilled when the taste and texture lived up to such a gourmet and lovely name. I mean, “crème” (come on, say it with a thick, French accent!) sounds so much dreamier than plain old “cream” or “pudding.” This recipe rivals one of my old favorites winning the contest due to it’s ease of preparation and would also be delicious garnished with chocolate shavings or curls.
Make this. The sweet and tart berries combined with the decadent lightness of the simple custard will wow you. And your friends. And your family. And your dog. And your whomever. Rest assured you’ll wow them all or your money back guaranteed. Er, or something like that.
P.S. I’ve updated my Favorites section over there on the sidebar to include my favorite breads!
One Year Ago: Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps
Two Years Ago: Sweet Heat Louisiana Chili
Colorado Crème
Printable Version
Printable Version with Picture
*Makes about 4 cups of “Crème” enough for about 6 dessert-sized portions
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
½ cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 ½ cups light or regular sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Assortment of fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries)
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium saucepan, stir together the gelatin, sugar and heavy cream until well combined. Set the saucepan on the stovetop burner and set the heat to low, stirring until the sugar and gelatin are dissolved and the mixture is barely warm to the touch. Be careful not to overheat the mixture – the purpose is simply to heat slightly to dissolve the sugar and gelatin.
Remove the pot from the heat and fold in the sour cream and vanilla extract until the mixture is well combined. Pour the mixture into ramekins, dessert cups, small glass bowls or pots de crème. Chill for 2-3 hours or up to overnight. Just before serving, spoon fresh berries on top.
Recipe Source: from Hollie
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
I have never had pot de creme let alone make it – but it looks incredible!
Yum! This looks so good, and somehow light despite the heavy cream and sour cream!
Your photos are gorgeous, Melanie!
Oh yummy! I have actually been on the hunt for a good “berries and cream” type recipe! So, I’ll make mine with berries, but Kevin will want hot fudge poured all over the top of his!! (teeheehee!)
You are killing me! I’m trying to do weight watchers! Lol
I love custards! This looks divine. Checking out your breads now
Looks yummy! Checked out the bread pics, but a couple of the pics didn’t link to the right recipe. Thought you might want to know.
Hello Mel,
I just wanted to let you know how very much I enjoy your recipes. I look forward every day to your post. I have never had a failure trying one of the recipes. You tend to use ingredients that I have on hand and not some long too complicated procedures.
I live in “the wilds of Wisconsin,” Madison to be precise and I love it here excepting for the long cold winters that seem to last for 6 months!
It sounds decadent, perhaps a little too decadent with cream and sour cream too boot.
Yout photos are incredible! They make me want to try everything all at once! Your site looks so clean and crisp. I haven’t found a better one, and really I have stopped looking! I try your meals and then send them out to all my friends and family for them to try, reffering them back to here of course!
Wow–this has a short ingredient list, yet looks scrumptious!! All of your breads look amazing too by the way!
Hi Amy – actually, I did that on purpose. Two of the recipes I put pictures up for haven’t been posted yet. One will be posted on Thursday and the other next Monday. But I wanted to get the pictures up in my Favorite’s section. Sorry to be a tease!
I’ve made this before and we call it Russian Creme and served it in homemade chocolate bowls (made with water balloons dipped in chocolate) and berries and those cute long, tube pirouette cookies! So elegant!
This looks extremely delicious!
i haven’t heard of this treat! stars above, it’s gorgeous–pure and creamy and smooth. wowza.
I was thinking about substituting plain yogurt for the sour cream, do you think it will work the same way?
I have never made anything like this and am excited to give it a try!
Carol – yes, I think the plain yogurt would work for this. The flavor might be a bit different but I don’t think it would compromise the end result.
You hooked me at creme and reeled me in when I saw sour cream as one of the ingredients and that it didn’t require any oven time.
~ingrid
I made this for company today and they were so impressed–they really did think I was a fancy-schmancy chef. I couldn’t bring myself to tell them how ridiculously easy this was. The flavor was soooo good. I just had one question though–did yours get completely smooth, or were there still some granules of gelatin in there? Mine definitely didn’t get totally smooth so maybe I didn’t heat it quite enough–I was kind of worried about overheating it, so the second it was slightly warm to the touch I pulled it off. But even with the texture being not as smooth as I hoped, this was a decadent, fancy, special treat! You just keep bringing on the winners!
Reyna – so, when I posted this, I was thinking “I really hope Reyna makes this and lets me know how she liked it.” I’ve come to trust your reviews (especially because I know you are honest about them!). Anyhow, I’m this worked out well for company. And thanks for emphasizing how “ridiculously easy” it is with phenomenal results. As for the gelatin granules, I didn’t have that issue, but now that you bring it up, it might be wise to add a step in the recipe to pour the warmed mixture through a fine mesh strainer before spooning into serving dishes. The other tip that might work is to sprinkle the gelatin over the cream and let it sit for 5-6 minutes before whisking in the sugar and warming it. I know when I’ve used gelatin in other applications (like frostings, etc.) the recipe usually calls to soften the gelatin before warming.
That totally makes sense Mel. I haven’t ever really worked with gelatin before, so I will definitely add those steps in next time (and there will definitely be a next time–I don’t have near enough heavy whipping cream and sour cream in my diet already). And P.S….I’m just really glad you like my reviews and don’t yet consider me your stalker.
Mel,
I have been making your original recipe of Berries and Cream into a pie for quite a while now. It is delicious. I just bake a pie crust and let it cool (Marie Callendar’s in the frozen section of the grocery store is the best if you don’t want to do homemade). Pour the cream mixture into the cooked pie shell after it has thickened awhile in the fridge. Then I mix sugar, cornstarch, and water and thicken it on the stove. Then add whatever mixture of berries you want and heat through in the cornstarch mixture. I don’t cook them long since I want them to taste as fresh as possible. Then top the pie with the cooled berries/cornstarch mixture and freshly whipped sweetened cream. It is so wonderful! Also, this week I tested the Colorado Creme and the Berries and Cream side by side. I prefer the original Berries and Cream – it has a better flavor and texture. The Colorado Creme is just a little less sweet and a little bit thicker. The Berries and Cream isn’t actually that much harder to make, especially since I mix the gelatin mixture into the cream mixture when they are both slightly warm and then stick it in ice water and then mix the sour cream/vanilla mixture into it. Sorry for all the info – just thought you might want to try a pie with this delicious recipe! Thanks so much for sharing – you have helped us create one of our favorite pies!!
Kaitlyn – I loved your comment! Thanks for doing a side by side comparison and including your review. I never in a million years would have thought to make the Berries and Cream into a pie but honestly, it’s brilliant! I can’t wait to try it. Thank you!
I got this recipe from my neighbor who makes it for all our block parties. We often have it for dessert at Christmas. It is delicious with sweetened berries on top. We especially like the triple berry frozen blend from Costco. I think it has marionberries, raspberries and blueberries. Thaw and mix a bit of sugar in and spoon on top. Delish!