Chocolate Soft Centre Puddings

Ingredients

• 65 g soft unsalted butter or coconut oil
• 50 g unrefined cane sugar, plus 2 tsp for dredging
• 300 g dark chocolate 50-60% (see 2nd tip), chips or callets or small pieces approx. 1 cm
• 200 g egg whites (from approx. 6-8 large eggs), at room temperature
• 20 g ground rice or rice flour – see 1st tip to make your own

Method

1. Use 3 tsp soft butter to generously grease 6 small ovenproof dariole moulds (6 cm deep by 6 cm diameter at the top) or small ramekins (they need to fit in Varoma dish in a single layer), add 2 tsp sugar to one pot and tip/rotate so sugar covers the buttered base and sides, then transfer loose sugar to next pot and repeat until all are coated with butter and sugar (use more sugar if required); arrange in Varoma dish then place in fridge to chill.
2. Heat chocolate and remaining 50 g butter 2 min/50°C/speed 3.
3. Scrape down sides of TM bowl with spatula, then heat again 2 min/50°C/speed 2 or longer, until completely melted and smooth.
4. Place a jug or bowl on TM lid, set scales to zero and weigh in egg whites, then whisk them briskly with a fork until ‘loose’ with no heavy parts. Avoiding TM blade unit, add sugar, ground rice and approx. 50 g fork-whisked egg whites to TM bowl, then mix 30 sec/speed 2.
5. Scrape down sides of TM bowl with spatula, then set 1 min/speed 3 and slowly add remaining egg whites through hole in TM lid. Scrape down sides of TM bowl with spatula and stir in any excess egg white, then transfer to prepared pots until each is ⅔ full.
6. Clean TM bowl, then add 500 g water to it, set covered Varoma with puddings in position on TM lid, steam 20 min/Varoma/speed 1 (see 3rd tip) or until outsides of puddings start to set and centres are still a little runny, then leave to rest 5 minutes. Hold dariole mould with an oven glove, invert pudding onto a plate, repeat with remaining puddings, then serve straight away.

Janie’s Tips

1. To make ground rice, grind 100 g brown or white rice 2½ minutes/Speed 10 while TM bowl is dry and clean, then transfer ground rice to a clean jar, cover with a clean lid and use required quantity in recipe – you’ll have some extra left over for another use.
2. 50-60% refers to the percentage of cocoa solids in your dark chocolate. If you use chocolate towards the higher end of this range, your chocolate puddings will be slightly less sweet (my personal preference).
3. I use little metal dariole moulds – timings may have to be adjusted for silicon dariole moulds or for ceramic ramekins or other sizes than given in step 1. Once you get the right steaming time for your own containers, make a note so you can make these fabulous puddings again and again!
4. Leftover steamed chocolate soft centre puddings can be chilled in fridge for up to 2 weeks or frozen in their pots up to 3 months. Defrost fully and bring to room temperature, then steam as per step 6 for 18 min/Varoma/speed 1; serve immediately.
5. This dessert is gluten free – please read ingredient labels to ensure all your ingredients are gluten free if gluten free is required.
6. For dairy free, use coconut oil instead of butter – please read ingredient labels to ensure all your other ingredients (including chocolate) are dairy free too if dairy free is required.
7. This recipe is vegetarian.
8. To make this recipe vegan, use coconut oil instead of butter.