Desserts · By Sharon
Chocolate Lava Cakes — French?
In 2010, some friends and I organized a unique 50th birthday gift for James: a day with a Bordeaux chef in our Chateau B&B (Veronique, the owner of the chateau, made the connection with a chef friend, and allowed us to use the huge Chateau kitchen for the day). Among the wonderful dishes he taught James, with Jocelyn and myself as audience, was the famous French lava cake (developed in 1982 by French chef Michel Bras, and later American chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten developed a slightly different approach, claiming his as the original). This version closely matches what James was taught in Bordeaux, except for the suggestion of added chili, a nod to fusion cooking. The adding of cherry compote is one delicious option, another being a strawberry compote, the way it was prepared with our Bordeaux chef (in typical French fashion, he highlighted local seasonal produce, and the small, intensely sweet strawberries we found in the market were a perfect seasonal berry to garnish these cakes).
Ingredients
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
- 6 oz (170 g) semi-sweet chocolate (70% cacao — Lindt is a good one; the bars are 100 g so you'll need almost 2 bars)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- ¼+ cup sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (can use gluten-free flour)
- Option: add additional flavoring, such as a bit of dried chili
- Serve with: sour cherry or strawberry compote drizzled over cake, and Chantilly whipped cream on the side (make it a bit sweeter to pair more effectively with the dark chocolate)
Method
- 1
Preheat oven to 475°F convection (500°F conventional). Turn down to 425°F convection (450°F conventional) before putting in the cakes.
- 2
Butter and lightly flour four 6-ounce ramekins. Tap out the excess flour. Set on baking sheet.
- 3
In a double boiler, over simmering water, melt the butter with the chocolate.
- 4
In a medium bowl, beat eggs/egg yolks, sugar and salt at high speed until thickened and pale.
- 5
Whisk the chocolate until smooth. Quickly fold it into the egg mixture, along with the flour.
- 6
Spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins and bake (425°F convection) for 10 minutes (sides of the cakes are firm but the centers are soft).
- 7
Let the cakes cool in the ramekins for 1 minute, then cover each with an inverted dessert plate. Carefully turn each one over, let stand for 10 seconds and then unmold. Serve immediately with a dusting of icing sugar, a compote, and some whipped cream on the side.
A note from Sharon
Drink pairing: strong coffee (espresso perhaps), an icewine, or any liqueur (field is wide open). If you have a very heavy and slightly sweeter red wine, like an Amarone, they are good with this slightly sweetened chocolate. If you have a good port or other fortified wine, that is even better.
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