RECIPE: Gooey Chocolate Puddings (From Dudley News)

RECIPE: Gooey Chocolate Puddings

11:09am Friday 3rd April 2009

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LIKING chocolate is one thing, but few people would go to the lengths of Willie Harcourt-Cooze.

The man who grew up on an island of the west coast of Ireland is so passionate about chocolate that he has devoted the last 15 years to sourcing the best in the world.

His search has taken him to Venezuela – where he sold everything he had to buy a cacao farm and to the brink of bankruptcy – and to Devon where he set about building a small chocolate factory to produce 100 per cent cacao bars.

Harcourt-Cooze’s chocolate odyssey was documented in a 2008 Channel 4 series, Willie’s Wonky Chocolate Factory. A forthcoming series, Raising The Bar: Willie’s Chocolate Revolution, is being shown on Channel 4 this month.

The eccentric entrepreneur remains committed to proving that chocolate – particularly 100 per cent cacao – can be used in more than just Easter eggs and bunnies.

He wants his new book, Willie’s Chocolate Factory Cookbook (Hodder & Stoughton, £20) to inspire “culinary adventurers” to use cacao in the same way that they use salt, pepper, chillies and garlic.

COOKINGWITH CACAO

Willie Harcourt-Cooze’s cacao is available from Waitrose stores.To find other stockists visit venezuelan black.com/stockists.html.

If you can’t get 100 per cent cacao, Willie suggests experimenting with other chocolate with a cocoa high percentage.

Try 85 per cent for savoury dishes and experiment with 70 per cent for sweet dishes.

Use more 70 per cent chocolate than you would 100 per cent cacao and reduce other ingredients, especially cream, sugar or butter, accordingly.

RECIPE:GOOEY CHOCOLATE PUDDINGS

Harcourt-Cooze suggests adding dried fruit soaked in alcohol – such as apricots in brandy or raisins in rum – for an adult twist.

Makes 6-8

Ingredients

180g cacao, finely grated
200g unsalted butter
175g golden caster sugar
6 eggs
2tsp vanilla extract
40g ground almonds

Method

Preheat the oven to 160C (fan).
Grease 6-8 ramekins.
Melt the cacao and butter by placing them, along with 60g of the caster sugar, in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
Meanwhile, lightly beat the eggs with the remaining caster sugar and the vanilla extract in a bowl.
Stir the ground almonds into the melted cacao and butter mixture.
Gradually fold the cacao mixture into the egg mixture.
Divide the mixture between the ramekins and bake for 12-15 minutes. The tops will rise and start splitting when they are ready.

Serve at once.

RECIPE: VENUZUALAN HOT CHOCOLATE

Serves 2

Ingredients

25g cacao, finely grated
100ml water
Honey or sugar, to taste

Method

Tip the cacao and water into a small pan and bring to the boil, stirring frequently. When thick and well combined, remove the hot chocolate from the heat. Add honey or sugar to taste. You can thin the hot chocolate by adding extra water or vary it by adding a splash of milk or rum.

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