'Mavis's Trousseau........and a self-saucing warm gooey chocolate pudding

‘COOKINGWITHMAVIS’ #26    …‘Mavis’s Trousseau and the DEADLIEST DECADENT  of self-saucing chocolate puddings!

    …’Mavis’s Trousseau

‘COOKINGWITHMAVIS’  was born from a series of articles I’d occasionally send to a select group of dear friends around the world –and locally too, voicing my opinion, or telling of travels , perhaps about an evening out, or other experiences…

One afternoon, “Computerpherous  Angie” (see blog #4 : “Jewish Chicken Soup”)- she standing in my office doorway…… and leaning against the doorframe,  arms folded in  assertive thought, and “…‘Angie” , so joyfully  adamant ! , drew me into the world of blogging…

She, sQueezing  me  through that  little opening  -  that aperture between  email  and  blog  , till suddenly, there“ She”   was …. Yes! - ‘COOKINGWITHMAVIS’    was launched! 

Verbally loud,  and pushing every endth of creative writing out of my fingertips,  to my laptop’s keyboard  -  like a runaway train, was ”…’MAVIS” !

But if that wasn’t enough, ”COOKINGWITHMAVIS”   needed to be visual , and thus needed a trousseau…a-an-and QUICK !   too!

A quandary…a terrible quandary!   …. Yes, I, the maker of “…’MAVIS”  ,  had a dilemma! …

For future photographs, was I to only  use the vast variety of  ‘ variable-items-of-aesthetic-pleasure-and-practical-purpose ’ - found in my home?

....or better still to embark on a * wonderful * shopping-spree *…. ?

QUOI  D'autre? …what else !

..... Why not have the best of both?

And so a  * shopping-spree *. was had!... that took me to  a*m*a*z*i*n*g*  stores,  and opened my  vision  to find items of pleasure and aesthetic value through ”…’MAVIS’s ”    eyes!

So, that’s how  ”…’MAVIS ”    got her trousseau !

And so for you....

        a  VALENTINE' S  TREAT   

"TU  CORAZON  SEMPRE  JUNTO AL  MIO"

VALENTINE  LIPS

And so to recipes…

SELF-SAUCING WARM CHOCOLATE PUDDING

 Clear your mind Dear Reader, of all other thoughts….

 

Imagine a spoonful of the darkest, richest, most moist, warm chocolate pudding  with GOOEY thick chocolate sauce oozing out…just tingling your tastebuds!  

Welllllllll ?.........THAT ’s  just what this is all about!

SELF-SAUCING  BAKED, RICH,  WARM  CHOCOLATE  PUDDING …

( it’s eggless!  ) –the pre-cursor of the ‘ Fashionable Fondant ’ !

DELECTABLE WARM SELF-SAUCING CHOCOLATE PUDDING

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup cake flour

½ teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cocoa (40 g)

2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence ( or seeds from I vanilla pod)

80g butter (about 3 tablespoons)

½ cup milk

Plus:

¾ cup soft brown sugar

2 cups boiling water

  Prepare your  ‘mise en place’ :

I make sure first that my “mise en place” ( pronounced “ miz ɑ̃ plas ”    ) , is done!  - it’s a French phrase - literally means:  "putting in place" ….I suppose it’s the ‘pre-preparation ’…

…Think ahead, having everything at hand, ready to use  - bowls, utensils,  dishtowel to wipe your hands, all your ingredients laid out on the kitchen counter, in front of you…. correct quantities measured …baking dish already greased with butter… BEFORE  you start .

VALENTINE    HEARTS...
 FOR  YOU

METHOD :

1st  - The mixture

Add The Sprinkles

Smooth The Sprinkles

Gently add the boiling water...

1) In a mixing bowl, sift dry ingredients with ½ the cocoa (3 tablespoon cocoa)

2) In a separate bowl, mix the remaining 3 tablespoons cocoa,  with  the soft brown sugar, and set it aside.

3) Gently melt the butter, in warm milk and vanilla (I do so in a Pyrex glass jug, in the microwave on a low heat for 1 minute ), and stir this well, into the flour-mixture, then  pour this batter into a deep oven-proof (buttered) glass baking dish (to accommodate at least volume of 8 cups)

- The batter should not be more than ¼ up the sides of the bowl.

4) Sprinkle the brown sugar/cocoa mixture over the batter.

5) Hold a large metal spoon above the mixture – back of the spoon facing upwards ,  gently pour the 2 cups of boiling water onto the back of the spoon, so as not to disturb the sprinkled mixture.

6) Bake at 180*C (350*F) for 40 - 45 minutes.

Note:

To test if ready, lightly touch the middle of the pudding, the centre should bounce back….in other words: be firm and not soft.

Serves   8 portions

***    To bake individual  portions...

A RAMEKIN OF  WARM CHOCOLATE PUDDING

In  small  ramekin  dishes :

- Be sure to have batter not more than ¼ up the height of the buttered ramekin.

- The boiling water should not be more than ½ way up.

* Bake in ramekins at 180*C … for  15 – 17 minutes

- I suggest you place the dishes on a baking tray – just in case the sauce spills over!

 To serve :

Serve warm, with a dollop of sourcream / crème fraiche / or mascarpone.

It’s so good, that you’ll sneak back into the kitchen after midnight,  to eat the leftovers, when no-one else is awake! – if there are leftovers!

HEARTS & LIPS

DO YOU  SEE THE FACE ? 

                                ...

BE MY VALENTINE 

FOREVER   YOURS

‘till next time...
'COOKINGWITHMAVIS’