Married with a Little Chocolate

We did it! We are married. The wedding was perfect. Full of love and happy tears and even some delicious food.

Newlywed bliss has engulfed us entirely . . . sleeping, snuggling, eating, repeating.

On the flight home from our honeymoon, I read Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard. How have I not read this book before? It's Bard's love story about her husband and Parisian food. We're lucky enough that she shared some of her recipes . . . interspersed with her articulate wit.

So the new husband and I have been cooking several of these recipes to celebrate our own new-found happiness. Thank you, Elizabeth Bard, for introducing these Individual Molten Chocolate Cakes to our sappy new love nest.

Elizabeth Bard's Individual Molten Chocolate Cakes

From the highly recommended Lunch in Paris

  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 5 ounces dark chocolate (70 perfect cocoa; the quality of the chocolate is essential - Elizabeth recommends Valrhona or Green & Blacks)
  • Large pinch of coarse sea salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon flour

Preheat the oven to 450.

Melt butter and chocolate together in the top of a double broiler or in the microwave. Add sea salt.

Meanwhile, beat together the egg, egg yolks, and sugar with a whisk or an electric beater until light and slightly foamy.

Add the egg mixture to the warm chocolate; whisk quickly to combine. Add flour and stir just to combine. The batter will be quite thick.

Butter small ramekins, or use Reynolds foil cupcake liners.

Divide the batter evenly among the ramekins. (You can make the cakes in advance to this point and chill them until you're ready to bake. Be sure to bring the batter back to room temperature before baking.)

Baking time will depend on your oven; start with 7 minutes for a thin outer shell with a completely molten interior.

Melt a little more chocolate to drizzle on top. Sprinkle a little more salt, and serve with ice cream.