Raymond Blanc's Foolproof Chocolate Fondants

Delicious Magazine has just featured these amazing hot chocolate fondants by Raymond Blanc, and I've had to force myself to test them!   A deliciously rich liquid chocolate centre is hidden in a little spongy pudding, topped with hot chocolate sauce.  The pistachios offset the smoothness.  They are very easy to make, and definitely better if you leave them for a day in the fridge before baking them.  They also freeze well.    The photo below shows the whole pudding before digging a spoon in to release the chocolate....

Raymond Blanc's Chocolate Fondant Pudding

Raymond Blanc’s Chocolate Fondants

To line the moulds:

0.5 oz/15g unsalted butter at room temperature

½ tbsp cocoa mixed with ½ tbsp caster sugar 

Fondants:

4oz/100g good quality chocolate (70% cocoa if possible)

4oz/100g unsalted butter

2 large free-range eggs plus 1 egg yolk

3oz/80g sifted icing sugar  

1 dsp cocoa powder

2oz/50g plain flour

¼ tsp/3g baking powder

Sauce:

1floz/30ml milk

3floz/90ml whipping cream

3oz/80g good quality chocolate, roughly chopped

plus 2oz unsalted shelled pistachios, roughly chopped

4 small pudding moulds

The oven should be at 230 deg C to cook the fondants, and they are best made a day in advance. 

Grease the moulds with the butter, and then, taking two at a time, put half the cocoa/sugar mix into one, close them together and shake them to get a good distribution of the chocolate.  Repeat with the other half and discard the rest.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl or in the microwave.  When it is melted, stir smooth and then whisk in the eggs and yolk, then sift in the dry ingredients and then beat into the mixture until it is smooth (which is why you should sift the icing sugar!).   Divide the mixture in the moulds.  At this stage, you can cook now, or later.  If later, store in the fridge, with cling film (remove 2 hours before cooking so they return to room temperature)

Bring the milk and cream to a boil in a medium sized pan, take off the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate until it is smooth.  This should be served warm  – it will solidify when it cools down.

Put the moulds onto a baking tray. The fondants need just 7 minutes in the oven until they have just started to crust.  Remove from the oven and cool for 3-4 minutes.  Then run a knife around the edge of each one and tip them onto plates.   Pour over the sauce and the pistachios and then pile in!