Warm Chocolate Tortes

This recipe taught me about using chocolate and beaten egg whites properly. These are a kind of fudgy pudding, or a set soufflé. The mixture can be cooked in eight individual soufflé dishes and unmoulded before serving. The little tortes can keep for a few days, covered in the refrigerator, and reheated in a microwave or oven.

Ingredients

• 160 g dark chocolate
• 135 g butter
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 150 g sugar
• 4 5 g plain flour
• caster sugar, icing sugar

Directions

Put the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over simmering water, to melt. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until light, fold in the flour. Whisk the egg whites until they form firm peaks.

Quickly add the melted chocolate to the egg yolk mixture and stir thoroughly. Fold in the egg whites.

Spoon into buttered soufflé moulds dusted with caster sugar. Bake at 180 C for 20 minutes.

To Serve

Allow to cool slightly when cooked, then unmould. Dust with icing sugar before serving. Serve with cream, or a coffee crème anglaise.

Serves 8

Scott Pickett, The Estelle