A Cup of Mocha

8 large egg yolks
1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup of milk
1 cup of heavy cream
1/2 cup of your favorite coffee beans, finely ground
8 ounces of bittersweet chocolate chunks
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan bring the milk and cream to a simmer. Add the ground coffee and bring to the simmer once more. Remove from the heat then stir in the chocolate chunks and vanilla. Let rest for ten minutes. Strain the milk mixture through a fine mesh strainer a little bit at a time into the egg yolk mixture. As you do stir the yolks constantly.

Pour the custard base into six of your favorite coffee cups and cover each with a piece of tin foil secured with a rubber band. Place the coffee cups into any oven safe container with sides high enough to allow you to add hot water as high as the level of the custard base in the cups. Carefully place the pan in the oven. Bake until the custards are set, about 45 minutes. Check their doneness by jiggling them slightly. They should appear to be set but still have a bit of a quiver in the center. They may take as long as 60 minutes but no longer.

Rest for thirty minutes then place in a refrigerator until completely chilled. The custards may be made a day or two in advance. When you are ready to serve either froth some milk with a bit of sugar or simply whip some cream and spoon it on top of the custard. Serve each cup on a saucer with a coffee spoon and some chocolate sprinkles or ground cinnamon sprinkled on top. Enjoy!