Molten Chocolate Puds
To kick us off, let me share my favourite recipe for molten chocolate puds. There are few other recipes so simple that are quite as sublime as this. I have tried many but have found this one by Gordon Ramsay to be failsafe if you follow all the steps and know your oven! I’m sure he won’t mind me sharing it with all of you and it showcases his lovely simple style of food using best ingredients.
I don’t use the liqueur because I don’t want anything interrupting the chocolate hit in my mouth but I’m sure it enrichens for an adult experience. I do like to serve this dessert with a raspberry coulis and a few blueberries for prettiness but frankly little beats some lovely rich pouring cream, crème fraiche or very best vanilla ice cream. Yum!
Ingredients (Serves 4)
- 50g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
- 2 tsp cocoa powder, to dust
- 50g good quality bitter chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids),
- 1 free range egg
- 1 free range egg yolk
- 60g caster sugar
- 2 tbsp Tia Maria liqueur
- 50g plain flour, sifted
- Icing sugar, to dust
1. Preheat oven to 160˚C/Gas 3.
2. Butter four ramekins (about 7.5cm in diameter), then dust liberally with cocoa, shaking out any excess.
3. Slowly melt the chocolate and butter in a small bowl set over a pan of hot water, then take off the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
4. Using an electric whisk, whisk the whole egg, egg yolk and sugar together until pale and thick, then incorporate the chocolate mixture. Fold in the liqueur, followed by the flour. Divide the chocolate mixture between the ramekins and bake for 12 minutes.
5. Turn the chocolate fondants out on to warmed plates. Dust the tops with icing sugar and serve with a dollop of creme fraiche or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
*Taken from Gordon Ramsay’s Fast Food.