Ingredients
For The Chocolate Fondants
250g of unsalted butter
250g of dark chocolate, broken into pieces
125g of caster sugar
70g of plain flour
5 eggs
5 egg yolks
plus a little cocoa powder and melted butter for lining the moulds.
For the honeycomb
2½tbsps of golden syrup
100g of Demerara sugar
1tsp of bicarbonate of soda
For the ice cream
1 pint of double cream
3 egg yolks
100g of sugar
pinch of salt
SERVES 8
Method
For The Chocolate Fondants
First get your moulds ready. Using upward strokes, heavily brush the melted butter all over the inside of the mould. Place the mould in the fridge or freezer. Brush more melted butter over the chilled butter, then add a good spoonful of cocoa powder into the mould. Tip the mould so the powder completely coats the butter. Tap any excess cocoa back into the jar, then repeat with the next mould. Place a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, then slowly melt the chocolate and butter together. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool for about 10 mins. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and yolks together with the sugar until thick and pale and the whisk leaves a trail; use an electric whisk if you want. Sift the flour into the eggs, then beat together. Pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture in thirds, beating well between each addition, until all the chocolate is added and the mixture is completely combined to a loose cake batter. Tip the fondant batter into a jug, then evenly divide between the moulds. The fondants can now be frozen for up to a month and cooked from frozen. Chill for at least 20 mins or up to the night before. To bake from frozen, simply carry on as stated, adding 5 mins more to the cooking time. Heat oven to 180°C. Place the fondants on a baking tray, then cook for 10-12 mins until the tops have formed a crust and they are starting to come away from the sides of their moulds. Remove from the oven, then leave to sit for 1 minute before turning out. Loosen the fondants by moving the tops very gently so they come away from the sides, easing them out of the moulds.
Method for the Honeycomb
Place the golden syrup and sugar in a pan over a medium heat and gently caramelise. Whisk in the bicarbonate of soda and then pour the mixture into a grease-lined tray. Leave to set, at room temperature, for around five hours. Then break into pieces, ready to serve.
Method for the Ice Cream
Bring the cream to the boil. Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl. Fold the cream into the egg yolks and add 50 gm of the sugar and the pinch of salt. Caramelise the remaining sugar with a little water. Allow to cool for 20 minutes and then fold into rest of mixture. Put everything into an ice cream machine and let it do its job.
To Assemble
Sit a fondant in the middle of each plate. Using a large spoon dipped in hot water, scoop a ‘quenelle’ of ice cream. Carefully place the ice cream by the side of the fondant along with a piece of honeycomb, then serve immediately.