Recipe: Simon Gault's molten chocolate puddings

Simon Gault's molten chocolate puddings. Photo / Supplied

These have been on the menu at my restaurant Euro for ever. Believe it or not, they are best cooked in an old baked bean can. Remove both ends from the can so you end up with a metal cylinder. Put the wider end (without the lip) on the oven tray and they will turn out perfectly. The secret is to have a molten centre so it oozes out over the plate when cut into. You can make the mixture and store it in the fridge in a disposable piping bag for around a month, so when guests arrive you can cook the puddings and look like a star.

Serves 6

• 5 eggs
• 5 yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 250g dark chocolate (at least 72% cocoa solids)
• 250g butter, plus extra for the moulds
• 3 tbsp ?our
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• icing sugar for dusting

1. Using an electric beater, whisk the eggs and yolks with the sugar until thick and pale.

2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double-boiler or in a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan of boiling water, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Fold the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until combined and of an even consistency.

3. Sift the ?our over the mix and fold in until completely incorporated with no lumps. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and place in the refrigerator until ?rm.

4. Butter 6 baked bean cans (or dariole moulds), lightly dust with cocoa powder and place on a tray or baking paper. Once the mixture is ?rm, pipe into the moulds, then refrigerate until set.

5. Preheat the oven to 185°C. Place the chocolate puddings on an oven tray and bake for 16 minutes. Remove from the oven and, very importantly, allow them to stand for 3 minutes before turning them out, to avoid cracking. Turn out the puddings onto individual plates and dust with icing sugar.

Simon says

Use empty 210g baked bean cans with the top and bottom removed instead of special dariole moulds.

Homemade, by Simon Gault, published by Pengiun, is available now. RRP $60