It's party season, right? We went to a great one last night. A select few of us gathered to celebrate Deborah's birthday. Rae and Glo, our Two Italians, teamed up to make ravioli from scratch, with some very comical help from the rest of us non-Italians... a lot of wine and laughter later, we had a most amazing feast. Good friends, good food, good music... the perfect recipe for a Good Life. Happy Birthday Deborah!










Yes, after all that, we made dessert too. Chocolate madness took over the kitchen, and we gobbled it up with sips of most excellent champagne. I'm still recovering, but in a very happy way. If you want homemade ravioli, you'll have to find your own Italians to coach you. But Rae sent me the recipe for the dessert, and I think you should try it.

Molten Chocolate and Espresso Fondants for 6

For the fondants:

1 tablespoon/15 g plus 2 sticks (1 cup)/226 g unsalted butter
Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
2 tablespoons/5 g freeze-dried instant coffee
8 ounces/225 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
4 large free-range eggs
4 large free-range egg yolks
3/4 cup/150 g sugar
1/3 cup/50 g all purpose flour, sifted

For the sauce:

1 cup/240 ml heavy whipping cream
8 ounces/225 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped

Coffee ice cream, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS:

To make the fondants:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat six 3-inch-/8-cm-deep x 2 1/2-inch-/6-cm-wide molds (such as a popover pan) or six 3/4 cup/180 ml ovenproof custard cups with 1 tablespoon/15 g of butter. Dust the molds with cocoa powder, rolling each mold around to cover the sides and bottoms well and tapping out any excess cocoa.

Stir the chocolate and remaining 2 sticks/226 g of butter and instant coffee in a heavy medium saucepan over a low heat until smooth. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until pale and doubled in volume. This will take about 3 to 5 minutes.

Fold in the melted chocolate mixture. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Pour into the prepared molds, dividing equally. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until slightly puffed and just set around the sides (a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes should come out with batter attached). Let the fondants rest for 3 to 4 minutes.

To make the sauce:

Meanwhile, bring the cream just to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate. Stir constantly until melted and smooth.

To serve:

Run a small sharp knife around the sides of the molds to loosen the fondants. Place a baking sheet over the popover pan or a plate over each fondant. Holding the baking sheet or plate and mold together, invert the fondants onto the baking sheet or plates, giving a sharp little shake to loosen. The fondants will slide out onto the baking sheet or plates. Spoon the chocolate sauce over the fondants and serve with coffee ice cream.