Chocolate pots with whisky cream
Serves 4
For the chocolate pots
– 250g 65 per cent chocolate – 100ml milk
– 150ml thickened cream
– 2 eggs beaten lightly
For the whisky cream
– 125ml thickened cream
– 1 tbsp golden syrup
– 30ml (1 shot) of good-quality whisky
Preheat your oven to 160°C. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Meanwhile, bring the milk and cream to a simmer. Pour the hot cream and milk over the beaten eggs, whisking all the while. Now strain the egg mixture through a fine sieve over the melted chocolate, folding with a spatula to combine thoroughly. Poor the mixture evenly into four heat-resistant whisky glasses. Place the glasses in a baking tray roughly 10 centimetres deep. Boil the kettle and pour the hot water into the baking tray until it reaches halfway up the chocolate mixture in the glasses. Bake the chocolate for 10-12 minutes. It should be just set and have a wobble in the centre. Turn the oven off and leave the chocolate pots to cool with the oven door open for 15 minutes. Remove the glasses from the warm water and leave to cool to room temperature. Leave the baked chocolate at room temperature until you wish to serve. Do not place the chocolate pots in the fridge. If you need to refrigerate, ensure the chocolate pots are removed from the fridge three hours before serving. Before serving, whisk the second measurement of cream to a soft peak. Fold in the golden syrup and whisky. To serve, place a generous spoonful of the whisky cream into the glasses on top of the chocolate.
Drink pairing:
Equipo Navazos P.X. Gran Solera, Jerez, Spain ($50, 375ml) – Liam O’Brien, head sommelier, Cutler & Co