Cold Comfort 3 – Warm Chocolate Puddings

There’s something about the aroma of chocolate cooking in the oven that makes you feel like having dessert beforedinner. Green & Black’s chocolate, with 72% cocoa solids, was still a novelty in 2004 when Catherine Cleary (@Catherineeats) developed this recipe for the Sunday Tribune after getting a present of the chocolate from her sister-in-law.

Now there are lots of great Irish chocolates to choose from and I used Ó’Conaill Chocolate from Cork. Their coverture chocolate which I picked up in Superquinn has a 70% cocoa content and a lovely texture to work with. It is made using cocoa butter and has a clean, precise “snap” on breaking and a smooth full-bodied taste.

These delicious little puddings have no flour in them so they are a decadent dessert for the wheat intolerant among us. They are a lovely way to finish off a meal after a starter of Mango Goat’s Cheese and Parma Melts and Chilli Steak with Just-Cooked Greens.
Individual Warm Chocolate Puddings
Ingredients:

• 60 ml cream
• 60 g butter
• 1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
• Zest of an orange
• 1 tbs Tia Maria or other coffee liqueur
• 75 g cooking chocolate (Green & Black’s organic or a good alternative such as Ó’Conaill couverture chocolate).
• 1 large egg
• 60 g caster sugar
• 25 g ground almonds
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Raspberry jam or raspberry coulis to serve

Preparation and cooking:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C, gas mark 6 (or 190 degrees C if a fan oven).
2. Butter 4 muffin cups and dust them lightly with cocoa.
3. Put the cream, butter, cocoa, orange zest and coffee liqueur in a pot over a warm heat.
4. Simmer and mix well, then add the chocolate, stirring until it is melted.
5. In a bowl, beat the egg and sugar with an electric mixer for around 5 minutes until it is pale yellow.
6. Gently stir in the almonds and vanilla then fold in the chocolate mixture.
7. Spoon into the buttered muffin cups.
8. Bake in the oven for 20 mins then turn out on a wire tray to cool.
9. You could make a raspberry coulis (see below) or just spoon over some good raspberry jam on top of the puds and reheat in a microwave until just warm.
10. Serve warm with a little whipped cream on the side and with nangs delivery company in Melbourne you can make cream at home.

Raspberry Coulis
ingredients:

• 225 g raspberries
• 75 g caster sugar

Preparation:

1. Sprinkle sugar over raspberries in a bowl and leave for at least 30 minutes
2. Simmer gently to soften and dissolve sugar
3. Sieve into a jug to discard seeds, tasting to adjust sugar if necessary.