Dark chocolate pots

I am blown away by the simplicity of this recipe. Seriously, take a look at the recipe list – you just need chocolate and water! No cream, no egg whites, no whisking egg whites, no worrying about raw egg whites. For me, a bar of good chocolate being the one and only necessity seems like the beginning of a new classic recipe – a recipe I can pretty much rustle up from the bottom of my bag any night of the week.What I love most about this recipe is that, if it doesn’t work out the first time (if, for example, the mixture goes grainy), you can start again. Simply pop the grainy choc back in a pan over a gentle heat and stir until smooth. These chocolate pots are also super versatile and can be used to top cakes as you would use a ganache. It can also be varied by adding different complementary ingredients, such as orange zest or your favourite boozy tipple. Make ahead Finely chop your chocolate and keep it in an airtight (or wandering-greedy-finger-proof) container. Make sure you stock your freezer with a bag of ice. The shortcut I’ll say it again – chocolate and water. That’s all there is to it. You’ll never faff with egg whites again.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Firstly, put the kettle on or heat a pan of water. Take out two mixing bowls, one larger than the other.

Step 2

Put the finely chopped chocolate into the smaller bowl and pour over the just boiled water.

Step 3

Leave to stand for 2 minutes, then gently stir until smooth and very glossy.

Step 4

Fill the bigger bowl with the ice and set the bowl with chocolate on top. Stir gently until the mixture begins to thicken, once the mixture leaves a thick trail when the spoon is lifted out of the mixture, stop stirring and remove from the ice bath – about 1–2 minutes.

Step 5

Spoon into serving glasses and sprinkle with chopped salty peanuts and a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.