Hot chocolate puddings - Nigel slater (Serves 4)
Little chocolate puddings, fluffy outside and molten within, a cross between a soufflé and a sponge pudding. I make them with the best chocolate I can get my hands on. The hazelnut spread such as Nutella or Green and Black’s sounds an odd addition, but in fact lends a lingering, nutty depth. If you feel the need to offer cream (and well you might), you might like to make it a jug of pouring cream rather than the rich, thick sort.
dark, fine quality chocolate - 200g
butter - 60g
caster sugar 100g
eggs - 3
chocolate hazelnut spread - 2 lightly heaped tablespoons
Set the oven at 200˚c/Gas 6. Lightly butter 4 small ramekins.
Break the chocolate into rough pieces and leave to melt in a basin suspended over gently simmering water. Let it melt without stirring,
occasionally poking any unmelted chocolate down into the liquid chocolate.
Put the sugar into the bowl of the food mixer, separate the eggs and add the yolks to the sugar. Beat till thick and creamy. Whisk the egg whites till airy and almost stiff.
Stir the butter into the chocolate and leave to melt then gently stir in the chocolate hazelnut spread. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg and sugar then carefully fold in the beaten egg whites with a metal spoon. Take care not to over mix. Just firmly, calmly mix the egg white into the chocolate making certain there are no floating drifts of egg white.
Scoop into the four buttered dishes and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes till risen. The tops should be cracked and the centers still slightly wobbly.