I picked this recipe because most people love chocolate, and it’s a bit of luxury at not a huge cost. This dessert is the ideal end to a Sunday roast lunch or dinner, and given that it takes eight minutes in the oven, it will give you a small window of time to finish digesting your dinner rather than diving straight into your pudding.
I learned how to make these chocolate fondants in the second restaurant I ever worked in, about 23 years ago. I used to make it for my flatmates and later on for my family. I was asked for the recipe again last week by my sister and brother.
It’s good on its own, and even better with a scoop of good quality vanilla ice-cream.
Paul McDonald is chef proprietor at Bastion, Kinsale, which was awarded a Michelin star last October.
Chocolate fondants
Makes about 10
Ingredients
250g chocolate (the best dark chocolate you can find)
250g butter
100g sugar
5 whole eggs
5 egg yolks
1 vanilla pod (if you have it)
50g flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Cocoa powder for dusting
Method
1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Melt the chocolate and butter together and stir until homogenised. You can either melt over boiling water or in a microwave.
2. Put the sugar, eggs, egg yolks and vanilla pod in a bowl and whisk until it has quadrupled in volume. An electric mixer is required, either a stand mixer or handheld one.
3. Using a spatula, gently fold one-third of the chocolate into the egg mix. Ensure the chocolate is not really hot when you add it; it has to be warm enough to be a liquid, but not just off the heat or out of the microwave.
4. Once all the ingredients are incorporated, add the next one-third of the chocolate and mix it in gently. Repeat with the remaining one-third of the chocolate.
5. Lastly, sift in the flour and bicarbonate of soda, and fold it in.
6. Butter the inside of your ramekins or coffee cups well, dust with some cocoa powder and tap out any excess.
7. Fill the ramekins three-quarters full with the fondant mix. At this stage you can either bake them straight away or place them in the fridge for baking within two days. Make sure they are at room temperature when you bake them.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for eight minutes. You are looking for the fondant to rise nicely, without cracks, and still be liquid in the centre surrounded by a lightly cooked sponge. You won’t know if it’s liquid in the centre until you cut through it, but a good indication is that the edge of the fondant is just coming away from the side of the cup or ramekin when you remove it from the oven.
Kitchen Cabinet is a series of recipes from chefs who are members of Euro-toques Ireland who have come together during the coronavirus outbreak to share some of the easy, tasty things that they like to cook and eat at home #ChefsAtHome
