Chocolate Pots de Crème

Place the chocolate in a medium bowl and place a fine-mesh sieve on top of the bowl; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and salt. Add the heavy cream and half-and-half and whisk to combine. Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the saucepan with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is thickened and silky in texture (it should reach 175 to 180 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer), 8 to 12 minutes. (Keep the heat low enough so that the mixture does not simmer at all.)

Immediately pour the custard through the fine-mesh sieve over the chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes, then gently whisk until smooth.

In a small bowl, stir together the water and instant espresso powder until dissolved. Add the espresso mixture and the vanilla extract to the chocolate mixture and whisk to combine.

Divide the mixture evenly between eight 5-ounce ramekins. Gently tap the ramekins against the counter to remove any air bubbles.

Allow the pots de creme to cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings, if desired.