A Fabulous Sunday Dinner

I thought I'd try to dress up Sunday dinner, so we had a full three course meal.

First course - homemade brioche and a blue cheese, candied walnut, and craisin spring salad
Second course - roast pork wrapped in pancetta and served with creamed corn and tomato relish
Third course - molten chocolate cake

Everything was fabulous, but to save you all the details, we'll just focus on the oh-so-rich molten chocolate cakes.


Molten Chocolate Cake

6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup cake flour, sifted
pinch of kosher salt
1/4 cup cold ganache, plus more for serving (see below)
confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350F. Coat the interiors of four 4-ounce ramekins with nonstick spray. Set aside on a baking pan. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and 1/4 cup water over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and melt the butter. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture over the chocolate, stirring to blend.

Place the eggs, yolk, and the remaining teaspoon of sugar in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a wire whip attachment or use a handheld electric beater. Beat on medium-high speed until the eggs are thick and yellow. Add the melted chocolate and continue to whip until thoroughly blended. Add the flour and salt, beating to incorporate. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes or ideally up to overnight.

Fill the prepared ramekins halfway with the batter. Place a tablespoon of ganache in the center. Pour in enough cake batter to cover the ganache and fill to 3/4 full. Bake until the sides are set and the tops are puffed but still soft, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the ramekins for 2 minutes before inverting onto 4 dessert plates.


Ganache:
4 ounces white or dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup nutella, peanut butter, or malted milk powder

Place the chocolate in a mixing bowl. Combine the cream and nutella (or other flavoring) in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until bubbles just begin to form around the edges. Remove from heat and immediately pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate in a steady stream. Let it sit for a few seconds to begin to melt. As soon as the chocolate begins to melt, using a whisk or rubber spatula, stir in a circular motion until the chocolate is completely smooth.

The great thing about the ganache is that you can change the flavor by substituting white for dark chocolate or peanut butter for the nutella. Any way you try it, it makes a fabulous cake. It was so rich, it was impossible even for me to finish!