Jun 4, 2011

Weekend Recipe -- Fondant au Chocolat

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⤿ I was going to bake something upon coming back last night, but all I wanted to do was drink lots of water and sit down because it had been a sweltering hot day and the kids at school had been particularly annoying and needy. It was all "Anne this, and Anne that", and "he insulted me; I'm not talking to him" for the last hour (the worst time to tutor a group of 6th grade boys is after they've just had a fight). I got back two hours later than usual because I met up with my friend Ben to shoot some more photos for his dating profile. Ben has been letting me use him as a model to improve my understanding of light and composition, so in return, he gets some shots to find himself a new lady. 

⤿ Chocolate fondants are one of the most popular French recipes. Everyone and their mother's made it at some point in their life, usually for a staff meeting or birthday. It's sort of a fool-proof recipe. It's up there with the chocolate cake that some people call "gateau au chocolat des secrétaires". And yet, I'd never made it. I like chocolate as much as the next person, but I don't love cooking with it, so it never occurred to me to give them a try. When I saw the recipe on my Nestlé dark chocolate bar, I knew it would be perfect to take to Camille's birthday party.  


 Chocolate Fondant  
Makes between 8 and 12 fondants. 

Ingredients

- 9 ounces (230g) plus 2 squares per ramekin dark baking chocolate
- 7 eggs
- 3/4 cup (140g) brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour

➵ Instructions

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⤿ Preheat oven to 480F (250°C)
⤿ Cut up chocolate along square marks
⤿ Melt chocolate in a pan over another pan of boiling water
⤿ When the chocolate is melted, add butter in small pieces
⤿ In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs and sugar
⤿ Add flour by small increments and mix well. 
⤿ Grease and flour the ramekins (crème brûlée ramekins are a good size) or muffin pans
⤿ Pour a third of the chocolate mixture into each ramekin dish, place two squares of chocolate onto the mixture and cover with more chocolate. Leave a little room at the top because these babies get all big and bloated. 
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⤿ Be prepared to weep when the top crumbles and looks all messy. There's probably a way to avoid it, but I'm not privy to it. 

Enjoy with a big-ass glass of water (or four). 

Coming soon: my waste of a roll of film South Beach photos.  

3 comments:

  1. love this! this looks so delicious, and the lighting was perfect.

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  2. Thank you, Jacqueline. I am the worst judge of light, so I'm glad you think that light looks good. The fondants were pretty good and I'm not even a huge fan of them, usually. They're so simple and quick to make and satisfying; you should give them a try!

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  3. this is a life saver recipe! love fondant au chocolat! (j'adore le dessert français)
    xxx,
    Betül
    Ballad of Seasons

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