GUEST POST: PALEO CHOCOLATE FONDANT BY JOSEPHINE O’HARE FROM MASTERCHEF THE PROFESSIONALS
Written By Gracie
These decadent puddings are just incredible and free from refined sugar, gluten, dairy and are paleo friendly… they are the perfect Valentines Day guilt-free indulgence created by our guest blogger Josephine O’Hare…
About Joey
Joey cooks delicious, seasonal food with a healthier vibe. She trained at the Ballymaloe Cookery School and Westminster Kingsway College, and has travelled widely working as a private chef. She recently had a blast on Masterchef the Professionals, making it down to the final twelve, and wowing the critics along the way – Jay Rayner in particular! She currently works as a private chef here in London, hosts supper clubs in Brixton, and is launching a pop-up in Clapham in March.
www.josephinescooking.com (@joeyscooking for twitter and Instagram)
The Chocolate Fondant
This chocolate fondant is outrageously delicious! It is rich, dark, sweet, & bitter all at once, and the texture is to die for! What’s more, it couldn’t be simpler to make, it can be entirely made in advance (even the day before), and is free from dairy, gluten and almost all refined sugars (there’s a mere 15g of organic dark chocolate per portion). There’s great scope for creativity here too… there’re delicious kept plain, but I’ve made them with a small spoonful of crunchy peanut butter hidden away at the bottom, a deliciously molten and salty surprise! You could try some dark cherries, or maybe a spoonful of raspberry coulis… If you or your Valentine love chocolate orange, perhaps perfume the mix with a little orange zest. It will all be completely delicious so feel free to really make the recipe your own.
****The recipe below makes 2 individual ramekins.****
Ingredients:
- 40g coconut oil (or 4 tablespoons of melted coconut oil)
- 30g dark chocolate (Lindt 72% is ideal, approx. 3 squares)
- 1 egg
- a few drops of vanilla extract
- 20g organic coco powder, or raw cacao powder (or 2 tablespoons)
- 50g coconut sugar (or 5 tablespoons)
- ½ teaspoon of baking powder
- a tiny pinch of salt, optional
Method:
- Put the coconut oil and dark chocolate into a mixing bowl, and sit this on top of a saucepan of simmering water; don’t allow the base of the bowl to touch the water, as this will burn the chocolate. They will melt together gently.
- Sieve the coco/cacao, the coconut sugar, the salt, and the baking powder into a second mixing bowl. (Not all of the coconut palm sugar will fit through the sieve, that’s fine, tip it in anyway, we just want to break up any bigger lumps).
- Crack the egg into any old mug/jug/bowl, add the vanilla, and whisk briefly with a fork.
- Once the chocolate and coconut oil has melted, remove the bowl from over the heat and allow to sit for a few moments to cool slightly before whisking in the beaten egg.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet, and mix well.
- Split the mixture between two ramekins – remembering you can add a little something to the bottom of the ramekins if you wish!
- They can be prepared up until this point and kept in the fridge for a day or two.
- When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180 degrees, and have an oven rack in the middle.
- If the fondants have been prepared in advance, allow them to come to room temperature before cooking. Bake for 8 minutes. If the fondants are being cooked strait from the fridge, cook for 10 minutes. I know this sounds pernickety but texture here is crucial! The ideal is a thin cake-ier layer around the outside, with a gooey, gooey centre. The dream!
