Moelleux au Chocolat

The finished product

What better time to start a food blog than the beginning of a new year?  2013 is bursting with exciting new opportunities and challenges and to embrace it with open arms I celebrated with a feast for both the eyes and the stomach.  I first discovered the deliciously decadent Moelleux au Chocolat  on a snowy mountainside in a quaint French alpine village. Consisting of a rich chocolate batter that is slightly undercooked to create a soft outer sponge and an oozing lava middle they are undoubtedly my family's favourite dessert.  Needless to say, this New Years Eve treat went down a storm! 

The recipe I found that did this heavenly dessert justice originated from Rachel Khoo’s, The Little Paris Kitchen, a beautiful book filled to the brim with unique takes on classic French cuisine.  I love everything about this book, from the striking pictures of French markets meandering down Paris’s cobbled streets to the grainy texture of the pages.  This is the first dessert I’ve tried from her collection and gauging from its success around the dinner table, it will not be the last. 

The Moelleux are simple but effective!

-         170g good quality 70% chocolate

-         170g salted butter, cubed

-         170g soft light brown sugar

-         85g plain flour

-         6 eggs, beaten  

-        6 ramekins, buttered and dusted with cocoa powder to prevent the moelleux from sticking when turned out.

Method:

1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bain marie.

2. Once melted, whisk in the eggs followed by the flour and sugar.

3. Stir until all ingredients are well combined and divide the mixture between the prepared ramekins.    

4. It is then advised to refrigerate them for at least an hour to cool the mixture.  This is essential in achieving the gooey centre as it takes longer for the heat to penetrate the batter.

5. Place the cooled moelleux in a preheated oven of 180ºC and bake for 15-20 minutes until there is a set sponge on the outside and a skewer comes out chocolaty when inserted into the centre.         

6. Leave to cool for 2 minutes before turning out.  If the ramekins were well buttered and dusted then the moelleux should slip out easily. 

My moelleux were not as runny in the middle as I had hoped.  In future I would recommend cooking them for slightly under 15 minutes if refrigeration was limited to an hour as they lacked the va va voom of the lava centre.

I presented mine with a raspberry coulis, blackberries and blackcurrants to offset the richness of the chocolate.  However, that is just to my personal preference and can be done at your own discretion.  Last, but certainly not least, a sprinkle of icing sugar to stay in keeping with the frosty New Year’s weather.  

You may have spotted the little macaroon inconspicuously lurking on the side of the plate.  Tomorrow, in  a welcome break from my exam revision I will be blogging about the perils and triumphs that characterise the art of macaroon making.