divine decadence - chocolate fondants

Chocolate fondants are one of those desserts that get everyone ooooing and aaaahhing. Everyone I know at least.

They look a little like a souffle when done well, which gives a massive wow factor, and they are very versatile in what you can serve them with. There aren't many things that don't go with a goey chocolate pudding, are there?

I think I'll be trying poached cherries in liqueur and also some orange segments in the new few weeks. But then a dollop of cream or vanilla ice cream also won't go amiss. I made these last week in the middle of the week, and although it's not something I would normally do without lots of time, it was so decadent and fun even. Melting chocolate makes everything better, even a day of crying and high fevers.

I must apologise for the photography. Although I'm not exactly the presentation queen, they did look a bit better in the flesh. These are really simple and totally worth a go. I think the only tricky thing is timing - you just need to go with your gut when you pull them out of the oven. If they still wobble a lot, they're probably not ready. Don't worry about them deflating if you have to put them back in - they aren't souffle-like and will work out just fine!

The aim is a runny chocolate sauce interior that flows out of a cakey exterior. Chocolate perfection

Ingredients:

200g dark cooking chocolate
60g butter, chopped
2 eggs
2 tablespoons plain flour
1/3 cup brown sugar

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C and grease 4 small ramekins (125ml)

Melt chocolate over a saucepan of boiling water (double boiler). Stir until smooth and allow to cool.

Place butter, eggs, flour and sugar in a food processor and process until smooth. Then place in another bowl and slowly add the melted chocolate (cool) until combined.

Spoon into the four ramekins and cook for 15-20 minutes. They should be moulten in the middle, but be firm to the touch on the outside.

Leave in the ramekins for 5 minutes, then turn out of the ramekins and serve with a sprinkle of icing sugar or cocoa powder and your choice of accompaniment.