COFFEE AND CARDOMON CHOCOLATE POTS

Why have I only just discovered the wonder that is the combination of coffee, cardamom and chocolate? I tried some 70% cocoa chocolate the other day that was flavoured with these two and it was sublime. I have had chocolate with both cardamom and coffee separately but never combined and having finally tasted all three together I’m a bit annoyed with my own brain for not suggesting it sooner.

These rich little pots of gooey-ness are so incredibly simple to make the only excuses that I’ll accept for you not giving them a go must come in the form of a Doctors note. When I was young my Grandma bought me cookbook full of chocolate recipes and I immediately made ‘Pot au Chocolat’ because it looked so easy.

When I say that they are rich I am not exaggerating – the recipe is essentially just ganache so it’s incredibly indulgent. Make sure you use really good quality chocolate for them with a high cocoa solids content.

I like to serve them in espresso cups (partly because it justifies my collection of them.) Ramekins are also fine but I think even the most hardened chocoholic would struggle to make it through anything more generous.

Ingredients

serves 6-8

300ml double cream

180g dark chocolate

6 cardamom pods

2 tsp (rounded) ground coffee

Crack the cardamom pods to release the seeds a little and add these, the coffee and the cream to a small saucepan. Slowly heat this over a low light until the cream is starting to think about simmering.

Chop the chocolate into small chunks and place in a large mixing bowl.

Strain the hot cream through a fine mesh sieve over the chocolate. Discard the remaining coffee grounds and cardamom.

Stir the cream and chocolate together using a spatula or spoon, ensuring that they are really well blended. Any chocolate that isn’t mixed into the cream will mean that the resulting ganache isn’t velvety smooth.

Pour into your chosen serving pots and chill for a couple of hours to set.

Decorate however you like (I piped little puffs of steam out of white chocolate) and enjoy the smug feeling when people tell you how impressed they are!