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FOR THE CANDIED ORANGE RIND:
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Bring water and 1/4 cup of sugar to boil in small saucepan. (Almost as if you are making a small quantity of simple syrup.) Once it boils, add your strips of orange rind. (You could zest or peel larger strips. I chose to peel short strips that were a bit larger than zest.) Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Then remove it from heat and strain the rind through a sieve. Drop the rind into the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and roll it around to coat. Let it dry and then shake it through a sieve again (put the sieve over a small bowl), so that the rind is left and you have a bit of excess orange sugar remaining. Reserve this.
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FOR THE POTS DE CREME:
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Preheat your oven to 350u00b0F. Place four 8 ounce baking cups in a small baking dish or pan. Add enough hot water to the baking pan to fill halfway up the sides of the cups. Set aside.
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In a heavy, medium saucepan, bring milk, cream, Grand Marnier, vanilla and orange zest to a boil. When it boils, remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until the mixture is smooth.
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In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar for about 2 minutes and until it is pale yellow in color. Pour a little of the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. Then return the egg mix to the chocolate mix and whisk until combined.
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Strain the mixture through a sieve into a large bowl or container with a spout. Divide the mixture into the baking cups. Cover the pan tightly with tin foil. Bake 40-45 minutes, until the custard is set. Remove the cups from the water and refrigerate uncovered until cool. Then cover lightly with plastic wrap and chill until cold, about 6 hours or overnight.
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FOR THE SHORTBREAD SPOONS:
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With your electric mixer, cream together the sugar and butter. Add the vanilla. Then add the salt and flour and continue to mix until a soft dough forms. Form the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. When ready to shape it, lightly flour your work surface. Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. I used a spoon shaped cookie cutter to cut out the dough (you could also use a knife to trace a small spoon or cut out a free form spoon if you are that talented)! Place the spoons on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar if desired. Refrigerate until cold and very firm about an hour.
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Preheat your oven to 300u00b0F. Be sure your rack is positioned in the center of your oven. Remove the pan of shortbread spoons from the fridge and immediately place them in the oven. Bake about 20-25 minutes. The edges of the cookies should be golden brown, but the centers should be pale. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely. Store tightly covered at room temperature until ready to use.
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FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM:
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When ready to serve... In the bowl of your electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat cream until frothy. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat on high till stiff peaks form.
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Dollop the whipped cream on top of the pots de creme and sprinkle with candied orange rind. Serve with a shortbread spoon.
