Preparation Time: 8 minutes

Cooking Time: 22 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 egg yolks
• 1 egg, lightly whisked
• 1 1/2 tbs plain flour
• 1 300ml carton thin cream
• 100ml milk
• 1 x 200g pkt dark cooking chocolate
• 2 tsp cocoa powder

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Place the egg yolks and egg in a medium saucepan. Sprinkle over the flour and stir to form a paste. Add the cream and milk, and stir until well combined. Break up the chocolate and add to the cream mixture.
2. Place over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until chocolate melts.
3. Pour chocolate mixture evenly into 150ml capacity ovenproof ramekins, cover each with foil. Place ramekins in a roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water into pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until set on top, but still creamy in centre.
4. Place chocolate pots on a heatproof plate and dust with cocoa powder.

Reference

Recipe by Jane Charlton, Photography by Con Poulos

Preparation Time: 50 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 500ml (2 cups) pouring cream
• 70g (1/3 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
• 1 vanilla bean (see note), split lengthways, seeds separated
• 150g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 5 egg yolks
• 100g (1/2 cup) caster sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Place the cream and half the brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the vanilla bean and seeds to the pan. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until the mixture comes to a simmer. Add the chocolate. Set aside for 5 minutes or until the chocolate melts. Whisk until smooth.
2. Whisk the remaining brown sugar and egg yolks in a large bowl until just combined. Whisk the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Strain through a fine sieve into a large heatproof jug.
3. Line the base of a roasting pan with a tea towel, folded to fit. Place six 185ml (3/4-cup) capacity ovenproof ramekins in the pan. Divide the chocolate mixture among the ramekins. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 25 minutes or until almost set. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and set aside for 2 hours to cool. Cover the custards with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight to chill.
4. Preheat grill on high. Sprinkle the caster sugar evenly over the top of the custards. Cook under grill for 2 minutes or until the sugar melts and caramelises. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes or until the caramel sets. Serve.

Notes

If vanilla beans are unavailable, use 1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence. Cook's tip: Don't leave the custards in the fridge for longer than 20 minutes in step 4. If you do, the toffee will start to dissolve.

Reference

Recipe by Leanne Kitchen, Photography by John Paul Urizar