Cheat’s chocolate fondant with pistachio ice-cream

Cheat’s chocolate fondant with pistachio ice-cream. Photograph: Harry Weir
Cheat’s chocolate fondant with pistachio ice-cream. Photograph: Harry Weir
Serves: 2
Course: Dessert
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Prep Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

  • Softened butter, for lining moulds
  • Caster sugar, for dusting moulds
  • For the ganache ball:
  • 80g 70% chocolate, broken up
  • 120ml single cream
  • For the fondant mix:
  • 110g salted butter
  • 110g 70% chocolate, broken into pieces
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 110g caster sugar
  • 110g plain flour
  • Garnish:
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder, for dusting
  • pistachio ice cream, to serve
  • roasted pistachios, de shelled and crushed
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Brush some ramekins or small pudding moulds with some soft butter before dusting with caster sugar, then set aside.
  2. To make the fondant filling, put the chocolate pieces in a bowl. Bring the cream to the boil in a small pot, then pour it over the chocolate and mix until smooth. Then place in the fridge to chill.
  3. To make the fondant mix, melt the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir with a spatula to combine until smooth, then remove the bowl from the heat.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, eggs and sugar using an electric whisk until a light, airy mix has formed. It should double in size.
  5. Fold the flour into the egg mix, then stir in the melted chocolate and butter evenly through the mix. Pour this mix into the sugar-lined ramekins or moulds to fill two-thirds of the way up.
  6. Scoop out some of the firm chocolate filling from the fridge and roll into a small ball in your hands, just smaller than a €2 coin. Make four balls. Press one into each of the fondants, then cover over with a small amount of the fondant mix to hide the four balls.
  7. Place the fondants on a baking tray and bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes. Carefully turn the fondants out on to serving plates. Dust with cocoa powder, then place a scoop of pistachio ice-cream on top. Roughly chop the roasted pistachio nuts and sprinkle on top.
Mark Moriarty

Mark Moriarty

Mark Moriarty is an award winning chef, TV host, author and Irish Times columnist.