Smooth, rich chocolate custard gets a bright lift from sour cherries and a crunchy topping of toasted rye bread. Make the custard well ahead of time: it sets up nicely in the fridge, ready to spoon out.
This custard is all about contrast. Dark chocolate gives it a deep, bittersweet base, while sour cherries add juiciness and a bright, fruity flavor. Rye bread brings a toasted, savory note. Every spoonful has a different texture: silky custard, soft fruit and crumbs that stay crunchy until just before serving.
The custard thickens thanks to egg yolks, not flour or cornstarch. Warm the mixture gently and keep stirring, especially along the bottom and into the corners of the pan. Once the custard coats the back of a spoon, it’s thick enough; don’t let it boil, or the yolks may curdle. A thermometer is useful: aim for about 82–84 °C. The chocolate makes the chilled custard firmer, so don’t expect it to be as thick as a pudding while warm.
Choose a dark chocolate you enjoy eating, preferably around 65–70 percent cacao. A higher cacao percentage makes the custard more intense and less sweet; taste the milk mixture before adding the chocolate and adjust the sugar slightly if needed. Sour cherries from a jar or can work year-round. Drain them well, but save a little juice to serve with the fruit. Fresh sour cherries are a lovely alternative in summer; sweet cherries work too, but give less of that bright contrast.
Firm rye bread works best for the crumble. Break it into coarse crumbs and fry them in a skillet with butter until dry and crunchy. A little sugar caramelizes as it cooks and rounds out the bread’s slightly bitter flavor. Avoid sweet rye bread if you can: the topping should taste savory and toasted. If you don’t have rye bread, you can use whole wheat bread, though the result will be milder.
Divide the custard among small dishes and give it at least four hours to chill and set. Cover and refrigerate it; keep the cherries and crumble separate and add them at the table. That way, the topping stays crunchy. This dessert goes well after a meal with pronounced savory flavors, and small portions are plenty because of the rich chocolate base.
Divide the finely chopped chocolate among four small heatproof dishes.
Whisk the egg yolks with 35 g sugar in a bowl until smooth. Heat the milk in a saucepan until steaming, but not boiling.
Slowly pour the hot milk into the yolks in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Pour everything back into the pan and heat over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Remove the pan from the heat as soon as the custard coats the spoon, or reaches a temperature of 82–84 °C. Do not let it boil.
Pour the warm custard over the chocolate. Leave for 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Divide among the dishes, leave to cool briefly, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Break the rye bread into coarse crumbs. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat and fry the crumbs for 3–5 minutes, tossing regularly, until dry and crunchy. Sprinkle the teaspoon of sugar over the crumbs and fry for about 1 minute more. Spread out on a plate to cool.
Toss the sour cherries with the tablespoon of reserved cherry juice. Just before serving, divide them over the custards and finish with the rye crumble.
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