When I was a child, these dense, dark, just-solid offerings, known more familiarly then by the French tag petits pots aux chocolats, were the dernier cri in bistro chic. The silky chocolate mixture contained within them is just mousse without the whisked egg whites, easier to make and somehow less vulgar, for all the daintiness of their presentation.

The method used to make them is ludicrously simple and done, necessarily, in advance. You just process the lot, pour them into small containers (coffee cups would be fine: there's no need to make a production out of it) and sit them in the refrigerator to set.  I've tinkered somewhat with the traditional flavors, adding spices to bring to this the aromatic richness of Mexican hot chocolate (or so I, in my unfounded fantasy, like to think), which tempers the uncompromising richness of the confection without losing its seductive intensity.

6 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 egg
8 1/4-cup pots or custard cups

Crush the chocolate to smithereens in the food processor. Heat the cream and milk until just about boiling, add the vanilla and allspice and pour through the funnel over the chocolate. Let stand for 30 seconds. Process for 30 seconds, then crack the egg down the funnel and process for 45 seconds.

Pour into whatever little cups you're serving in, and sit them in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. But remember to take them out of the refrigerator a good 20 minutes before you want them to be eaten; the chill interferes with their luscious, silky richness.

This makes 2 cups altogether: enough to fill 8 little pots of approximately 1/4 cup capacity. But if you've got only bigger cups, just augment quantities.