Which is why, when rereading Katrina Meynink’s delicious book Kitchen Coquette, I became a little fixated on her Lindt Chocolate Puddings, in which not one but two entire chocolate balls, frozen, are submerged in batter and briefly baked to produce a dark chocolate pudding with a slowly liquefying white chocolate Lindt centre. I rationalised hazily that buying a ten-pack of Lindt chocolate balls was better value than the three-pack; that I’d been doing some temping; that if I didn’t spend the money on the chocolates said money would only be sitting in my bank anyway, and that I’d really, really felt like pudding – one of those days, in fact, where you wake up and just know in your bones that you’ll need pudding later on.
That said, if you’re really fixing for this recipe but can’t physically bring yourself to fork out for Lindt – and I understand – pieces of decent white chocolate from a bar will still produce a damn excellent finished product, I’m sure.
Lindt Chocolate Puddings
From Katrina Meynink’s book Kitchen Coquette.
Note: I halved this recipe, went for two eggs but 50g sugar.
200g dark chocolate
100g butter
3 eggs
115g sugar
2 tablespoons flour
8 white Lindt chocolate balls
Place the chocolate balls in the freezer for at least an hour. When said hour is up, set the oven to 200 C and gather ye four 250ml ramekins.
Melt the chocolate and butter together gently, then allow it to cool a little and quickly stir in the eggs, sugar and flour. (This allows you to just use one bowl, but mix up the non-chocolate stuff separately if you wish.) Divide the mixture between the ramekins, and unwrap the frozen chocolates and push two into each ramekin, spooning over a little batter if they’re popping out the top. Bake for 15 minutes, till firm on top and bulging out the top. Don’t overcook – you want that saucy squish of barely-set cake batter.
Two of my dearest friends are flying to Japan today – Kate and Kim, who both worked on my cookbook with me (stylist and photographer, respectively) and I’m incredibly happy and excited for them, especially having done a huge trip overseas myself, but Kate’s not coming back till the end of January, which is really a long, long time away from someone so wondrous. Sigh. All the sighs. Kim is returning back to NZ in two weeks’ time, like some kind of collateral or flat bond (but a million times nicer), so there’s that. I’m hopeless at articulating myself at the time of significant goodbyes – but with people that are such good friends I feel that you don’t have to make big speeches or anything, you just know. And also, fortunately there are still excellent and dear friends here still. It’s Kim and Kate’s time to shine, and I’m sure they’ll shine hard like the ethically-sourced diamonds they are. If you hear any strange noises at any stage though, it’s just me expressing my dramatic emotions via the application of a pillow to my tearducts. Totally cool. No big deal.
In amongst all this caginess and hand-wringing maudlinness, what of the puddings? Were they delicious? Hot damn, yes. Like a hot, barely cooked chocolate brownie, the frozen chocolates slowly melting within creating a vanilla-y, creamy contrast to the bitter darkness of that surrounding it. I liked mine with cold, cold cream filling a spoon-excavated dent in the top and spilling out over the ramekin, Tim austerely preferred it without. Make them, and make them immediately, without excuse or delay, as soon as you’re able to and also feel like pudding.
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Title via: Barbra Streisand singing You Are Woman from Funny Girl with Omar Sharif. OH, her voice.
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Music lately:
Elastica, Connection. I remember feeling, speaking of 1996 diary entries, such injustice that Justine Frischmann and Damon Albarn were going out. Because that, specifically, prevented him being my boyfriend. Still sorta wish he was, still adore this song.
Neneh Cherry, Woman. Speaking of 1996. This song is intense, and intensely excellent.
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Next time: a supercool ice cream cake from my 60s American pudding cookbook.
Those look fab. There's a Gordon Ramsey recipe I seem to remember for a frozen truffle wrapped in pastry and deep fried, which made me drool similarly!
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OMG I can't believe!! You used Lindt chocolate balls in your recipe!!
I've got a lot of them (lemon taste) but I've never thought to use them…I have to give it a go!!
Thanks for sharing
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these look delicious! I didn't grow up in a small town, but instead in the outer suburbs of wellington and going to our local library WAS an adventure. Haha.
I'm definitely going to make these! x
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These puddings look like a weeks' worth of calories, but they do appear ever so delightful!
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Thanks! This is a lot more straightforward, I promise. That sounds pretty intriguing, though.
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To be honest it's really hard to hold on to them for this recipe instead of eating them all, but it's worth squandering a few for the finished result! And thank you.
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I used to dream of living in the outer suburbs! But yeah, libraries! ❤
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I guess it's no different to eating a chocolate and then having pudding later on, it's just together in the one bowl. Am not fussed by calories either way, but would hazard there's definitely a few in here!
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Hi there, just found you through Pinterest! I have a very dear friend in Auckland NZ named Laura who also loves to cook! Ha! I'm definitely bookmarking your blog and hope to try this Lindt Chocolate Pudding recipe soon!
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Wow. That looks amazing. Where do I get a copy of Katrina's book?
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Yuuuuuuuum, also loving the turn of phrase “pupil-dilating deliciousness”
Also, I'm with you on the pudding crator of cream, its not right without it. Tim is crazy and WRONG!
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What a clever recipe, it sounds fantastic. I would use the cookies and cream Lindt truffles for these, mmmmmmmmm.
My absolute favorite clip on earrings were these punchy-colored wooden fish that looked like they were smiling. I wonder where they went…. I still wear a pair of clip on pine cone earrings some days – those are always the best days:)
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