Nothing beats caramel-fleur de sel combination. But add to it rich velvety custard, infused with coffee and flavored with chocolate and you will have an unforgettable dessert. Serve it in small demitasse cups or tiny ramekins.

The panna cotta can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept in the refrigerator. The caramel can be refrigerated for up to a week. Do make sure to put the whole thing together right before serving.

The recipe is from “Chocolate & Vanilla” by Gale Gand.

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There is no any gelatin powder or eggs in this mousse. The flavor, as a result, is clean and pure. And the texture is light without being elastic. Definitely don’t try to save on the chocolate here. You get what you pay for. Use good quality chocolate.

The recipe is from “Bittersweet”.

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There is another holiday favorite. It can be done up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated till the serving time.

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This is the easiest chocolate dessert and also the fastest to prepare. Although it needs 2 hours of chilling time. Sure, the flavor greatly depends on the quality of the ingredients, so buy excellent chocolate and you will get wonderfully tasted pots de crèmes.

A word of caution though – the eggs in this dessert are not fully cooked. I usually buy the freshest organic eggs and wash the shells thoroughly before using. But if you still have any concerns, replace the eggs with pasteurized ones.

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This dessert can be prepared in stages over several days. And after assembling it has to seat in a refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight which is even better for the cake to soak and flavors to blend. The fact that this dessert can be assembled well in advance makes the trifle perfect for entertaining by easing the stress related to the last minute dessert preparation. But I should probably have started by telling you that this trifle is amazingly good, light and very refreshing.

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What a nice contrast – mildly spiced cool delicate custard and sweet-salty caramelized pecans. The pecans are terrific on their own and ridiculously easy to make. I found myself consuming way too many of these with my morning espresso instead of having proper breakfast…

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