Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and I’m on a mission to collect a sumptuous selection of recipes so I can plan the perfect Valentine's meal with my husband. I’d love to share some of my favourites here on our blog with you, so keep checking back over the next couple of weeks for some darn good dishes.
Our first recipe is a Chocolate Fondant from Mark Bennett, Head Chef at Esca Bimbadgen Restaurant. I’m definitely a dessert girl, and nothing says ‘romance’ like chocolate, especially if it comes in the form of a gooey fondant with some berries on the side…
Chocolate Fondant
Ingredients (makes 12):
200g good
quality dark chocolateIngredients (makes 12):
200g unsalted
butter
200g caster
sugar
7 eggs
120g plain
flour
Equipment
- 12 x Dariole moulds
- Electric mixer / hand beater
- Sifter
- Rubber spatula
- Bowls
- Pot
Delicious Chocolate Fondant from Mark Bennett, Head Chef at Esca Bimbadgen, Hunter Valley
Method
- Using some extra butter, grease
the dariole moulds on the inside and allow the butter to set in the
fridge, repeat this process so you have two layers of butter.
- Melt the chocolate and butter in
a metal bowl over the top of a pot that is lightly simmering with water,
alternatively you can melt them in short bursts in the microwave.
- In the mixer, combine the eggs and
sugar and beat on a medium/high speed until the mix is white and leaves a
trail in itself (ribbon stage) about 10 minutes.
- Sift the flour into the creamed
egg and sugar in two batches, folding through the flour between additions.
- Fold through the butter and
chocolate mix
- Pour into the dariole moulds and
set in the fridge
To Serve
- Pre heat your oven to 200
degrees, you will need to test bake a fondant to get the timing right.
- When the oven is hot place a
fondant on a tray in the oven and allow to cook for 7 mins.
- When it is cooked, turn it out
onto the tray it was cooked on and allow any excess butter to run off,
leave the dariole mould on the fondant to allow the outside to set fully.
- Remove the dariole mould and
break open the fondant, it should be soft and gooey inside. If your
fondant was completely cooked through, reduce the cooking time. If the
fondant was too fragile and broke too easily, increase the cooking time.
- Serve with some seasonal fresh raspberries, and ice cream or crème fraiche.
Esca Bimbadgen Restaurant is located within Bimbadgen Winery in the Hunter Valley, NSW.
Bimbadgen Winery is a must-see winery the next time you are in the Hunter and
boasts an expansive cellar door and modern tasting rooms, café, accommodation,
outdoor amphitheatre, and of course the award-winning Esca Bimbadgen
Restaurant.
Open 7 days
for lunch 12pm – 4pm. Dinner
Wednesday to Saturday nights from 6pm.
790 McDonalds
Road, Pokolbin NSW 2320
Phone: 02
4998 4666Email: esca@bimbadgen.com.au
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