My foolproof recipe: Chocolate fondant to die for

Foolproof recipe: Chocolate fondant to die for

I recently found this recipe on the internet and translated it to English, but I made a few changes equipment wise to make things easier. For example, instead of ramekins, I use metal oval individual cake forms, though the small ramekins will do the same job (please see Galya’sTips section below, where I share hints other tried and tested techniques from the La Croix du Reh kitchen).

RECIPE:

Ingredients for 6 persons (I manage 8):

6 – 8  small individual ramekins

3 eggs

 2 egg yolks

200 g of chocolate ( 54% to 65%  – using higher cocoa content chocolate will make it grainy)

 100 g of butter

 100 g sugar

 50 g plain flour ( NO MORE!)

Preparation:–

1. Preheat oven to 210 °C
2. Gently melt the chocolate with the butter in a bain marie (in a ceramic or glass bowl nested over a pan of simmering hot water) or microwave. Mix until it forms a smooth mixture, then add the sugar and mix well ( I use a hand whisk or an electrical whisk on very low speed, as it’s easier, quicker and can produce more consistent results) .
3. Leave mixture to cool down to a tepid temperature.
4. Add eggs and egg yolks one by one by mixing well between each addition.
5. Finally, add the sifted flour and mix gently until the flour  is well incorporated.
6.  Grease  the ramekins with melted butter and lightly sprinkle the walls of ramekins with either wheat or almond flour. Shake the excess of flour out
7. Fill the ramekins with the mixture, leaving 5 – 7  mm from the edge
8. Put the ramekins on an oven tray and place it in the preheated oven
9. Bake exactly 8 minutes.
10. Let to cool slightly. Then turn the ramekins over on an individual plate each.
11. Serve with ice cream (You can sprinkle each little fondant with icing sugar)

Bon appetite!

 Galya’s Tips: Tried and Tested.

1. Usethe smallest ramekins possible: believe me, as a dessert it will be enough even for extreme chocoholics. The first time I tried this recipe the fondants came out just perfect and I hope that you will succeed without difficulties!
2. Instead of glass or clay ramekins, I use smooth inox (or aluminum) forms for the small individual cakes (4cm height, 4,5cm width across the top, 6,5cm length across the top). This way the recipe makes 8 fondants. Do not use silicon forms, because they don’t hold the fondants in shape after baking
3.  Because the mixture does not contain separate egg whites preparation, it will keep very well. You can prepare the mixture in advance, put it in the ramekins, cover each one with cling film and keep in the fridge for up to a week. Usually I get them out of the fridge an hour before cooking; it is possible cook them at the last minute straight from the fridge, but they will require 1 to 2 minutes longer to cook.
4. You can check if the fondants have set enough by touching very gently the top of the cake with your middle finger: if the top of the fondant is not liquid, it’s set and good to serve)
5. You can eat ready fondant directly from the ramekins without turning them onto the plates, but I found ramekins are too hot to handle, also they look much better on the plate.
6. You can play with colors and flavours by adding a small square of white chocolate or a fresh raspberry to the middle of the mixture, once it is placed in the ramekin.