Sous Vide Chocolate Coffee Pots De Creme with Vesta Precision Imersa Elite

Silky, decadent Sous Vide Chocolate Coffee Pots De Creme infused with tonka bean and topped with salted caramel crisp pearls and chocolate coffee beans.

Disclosure: This post for Chocolate Coffee Pots de Creme was made in partnership with Vesta Precision, using their Imersa Elite Sous Vide Immersion Circulator. All opinions and content are my own.

I am not much of a coffee drinker, but I love coffee-infused/flavoured desserts, particularly when rich, creamy and paired with chocolate. My newest batch of Sous Vide Chocolate Coffee Pots de Creme checks all those boxes.

To get that silky, smooth texture without the constant watching, stirring and possibly curdling the eggs, I like to make these babies sous vide style. And today we're using Vesta Precision Imersa Elite to help us do the job!

Vesta Precision Imersa Elite Immersion Circulator

What's more important to you - form or function? For me, it really depends. If we are talking purely decorative, then form. Anything else, I aim for a balance of the two. When that balance isn't achievable, I always opt for function.

What I love about the Imersa Elite is its simple balance of both. While most sous vide brands have stuck to a tube-shaped design, here comes their flat, square, flip me over and watch me work from across the room design. The clean, stylish design is what drew me to the brand. So, when I was offered the opportunity to work with them, I did not hesitate.

While I was first drawn to their brand solely by its form, having now used the Imersa Elite to prepare a number of meals over the last few weeks, it definitely delivers in the function department.

We own three other circulator brands and have been cooking sous vide for around seven years. Although I don't fashion myself a sous vide expert, I can speak from my personal experience using all four.

I have really enjoyed using the Imersa Elite. In terms of performance:

• operating sound level is comparable to at least three out of my other four circulators. It's definitely audible, but without being annoying. Because I am currently working from home full-time, I have not yet enabled its Wi-Fi capabilities. Instead, I use the manual settings and the heated and ready alarms are loud enough that we can hear them throughout most of our home. Once quarantine ends I'll be relying on the wi-fi function while away from home.
• temperature accuracy is also pretty much on par with some of the other circulators we own and in general - within 0.2ºF at both low and high variation.
• storage-wise, it fits nicely in my kitchen drawer, but is rarely ever there, as we cook sous vide almost daily.
• controls and display are top notch. The large, clutter-free LED display is legible from a distance. The ease of use and overall design, I think takes into account those with accessibility issues.
• it works well with my cast iron pots, as well as my polycarbonate water bath. What I would really like to see is a cover that fits with the design. In the meantime, I have fashioned one out of a flexible cutting board for longer cooks.

There are a number of technical considerations, when purchasing an immersion circulator - wattage, GPM (flow rate), water capacity, maximum temperature, warranty, etc. - I won't address those here. That information is available in the product specs at Vesta Precision.

Chocolate Coffee Pots de Creme

So, with the water bath all heated with our sleek and trusty Imersa Elite, let's bathe up a batch of rich, silky smooth pots de creme. This batch is flavoured with coffee, a great complement to the 70% dark chocolate I used in this recipe. If coffee isn't your flavour, you can just as easily omit infusing the cream with the coffee beans, or check out these other flavour variations.

Tips For Using Glass Jars

I shared some tips for working with glass jars when cooking sous vide, in this post. Basically, you want to prevent your jars from cracks or breaks and water from leaking into the jars. Here are a couple tips:

• to prevent cracks and breakage from thermal shock, heat the jars and lids as you are heating the water bath. Once the bath reaches temperature, remove them and place them on a towel, so that they don't come into contact with a cool counter, fill, cover and return to the bath to cook.
• to prevent cracks and breakage from pressure build-up, close your jars only 'finger tip' tight - meaning you should be able to unscrew the lid easily, using only your finger tips. This helps prevent any trapped air in the jar to release, without allowing any water in. Also, ensure your lids are in pristine condition - dent and rust-free.

A number of you have expressed your discomfort and even nightmares cooking sous vide with jars. The custard can be cooked in a sous vide suitable resealable bag, then transferred to a dish for chilling and serving.

If you are serious about sous vide, then a chamber vacuum sealer may be just the thing to add to your culinary arsenal. I'll be sharing with you how I use Vesta Precision Vertical Vac Elite in an upcoming post.