Sunday, November 23, 2008

Forget the Pumpkin Pie!

Photo courtesy of Recipes From 4EveryKitchen

A few years ago I was introduced to chef Nigella Lawson courtesy of The Oprah Winfrey Show. She was doing a cooking segment with Oprah and the two of them were discussing these little chocolate souffles Nigella had just pulled out of the oven. As a lover of all sweets - especially anything to do with chocolate - let's just say my taste buds were salivating.

And since you can find anything on Oprah.com, (I'm mean anything!), I typed "Choco Hoto Pots" into her search engine and was instantly rewarded with this sinfully delicious recipe:

Choco-Hoto-Pots
Recipe created by Nigella Lawson

Forget about the calories—just sit back and enjoy the decadence provided in this warm chocolate treat.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Baking time: 20 minutes
Cooling time: 15 minutes
Makes 4 - 6 servings

Ingredients:
Butter for ramekins
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
2 large eggs
3/4 cup superfine sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions:
1. Place baking sheet in an oven preheated to 400°F/200°C. Butter four 2/3 cup ramekins and set aside. (I actually find these so decadently sweet, that I use ½ cup ramekins and make 6.)
2. Using a microwave oven or double boiler, melt together the semi-sweet chocolate chips and the butter. Set aside to cool.
3. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, sugar and flour. Add cooled chocolate mixture, and mix until blended.
4. Divide mixture evenly among ramekins and place on baking sheet. Bake until tops are shiny and cracked and chocolate beneath is hot and gooey, about 20 minutes. Place each ramekin on a small plate with a teaspoon and serve, reminding children that ramekins and chocolate are hot.

I like to top my hoto pots with a generous serving of whip cream. If you're really feeling naughty (and who doesn't from time to time?), top them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, then whip cream, and then drizzle chocolate or caramel sauce over the whole thing!

If you feel like making a unique dessert this Thanksgiving, you can't go wrong with these little pieces of chocolate heaven. And because you bake them individually, you can present each of your guests with their own ramekin. (Speaking of ramekins, I just saw them for $1 a piece at World Market and Pier 1 Imports. How's that for a bargain!)

Forget the pumpkin pie, people. Your guests will thank you!

PK

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mmm. Mmm. My mouth is watering big time!

Unknown said...

Oh goodness, those look amazing!
I am going to have to try this recipe!
B-

Little Dame said...

Oh....mmmMMMmmm.... thank you for reminding me of these...must make them sooon.....