The Prague Post
November 20th, 2008
Endowment Fund     Business Listings ONLINE      Reservations      Classifieds    Subscriptions
Hotel Prague Centre

Home » Archives » Night & Day

No cakewalk

But this molten marvel is worth the effort
From the chef | Search restaurants | Archives

January 10th, 2007 issue

COURTESY PHOTO
A staple of fancy restaurants around the world can be made at home, with practice.

By Lukáš Pohl

These small, delicious chocolate cakes are not exactly easy to make. And you could well be disappointed with the results the first time you try to make them. But don't give up! Try again, because the effort is well worth it.

Make certain the chocolate contains at least 65 percent cocoa. This will ensure the correct consistency, as well as provide the tantalizing richness people love from chocolate desserts.

It's also impressive if you serve the cakes with a variety of fruit. We do this at Café Savoy. In particular, the taste of orange and sour cherry in combination with chocolate is perfect.

Gateau au Chocolat
Ingredients Preparation
200 grams (7 ounces) good chocolate (such as Valhrona manjari)
200 grams butter
150 grams nougat
100 grams caster sugar
100 grams granulated sugar
100 grams plain flour
5 eggs
800 grams vanilla ice cream (Cream and Dream brand is preferred)
700 grams sour cherry coulis
200 grams pistachio nuts
Honey sauce with oranges
1,500 grams oranges
300 grams cream
150 grams honey
100 grams butter
50 grams star anise 		First prepare the honey sauce.
Cut oranges into slices.
Melt butter in pan, add cream and anise, then bring slowly to the boiling point, adding oranges.
Add honey, cook a little and strain to get the small orange bits.
Allow to cool in the fridge.
Melt chocolate and add soft butter, stir until obtaining soft chocolate mass.
Beat sugar and eggs until thickened.
Mix chocolate with the beaten eggs, add flour and mix gradually.
Allow the pastry to cool in the fridge for 10 minutes, then mix again and pour into small pastry forms (rubbed with butter) the size of
1.5-deciliter (5-fluid-ounce) cups.
Slice nougat into 1.5-centimeter
(0.6-inch) cubes and place one in the
middle of each small form.
Bake in a preheated oven
(200 C/390 F) for eight minutes.
A well-baked small cake is supposed to be raw in the middle, allowing the chocolate to remain
liquid.
Turn the small cakes out of the forms and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Serve with honey sauce with oranges, sour cherry coulis and a helping of (finely cut) pistachio-covered vanilla ice cream.

Once you perfect the technique, start searching for the ideal wine to accompany your creation. I recommend a good Sauternes.

Lukáš Pohl is pastry chef at Café Savoy, one of the Ambiente Group restaurants located at Vítězná 5, Prague 5-Smíchov. Tel. 257 311 562.M


Other articles in Night & Day (10/01/2007):

Browse the Current Issue

If you enjoyed this article, why don't you subscribe to the print version!
We accept secure online transactions provided by PayPal and Moneybookers

Be the first to add a comment!


Full Name: *
City: *
E-mail: **
This comment can be published in the print version of The Prague Post
Enter the text on the right:
 visual captcha
Comment: *
* Required field. In order to be approved for display, comments must have a first and last name and a city.
** E-mails are required and will only be used for internal purposes.

Most visited in Business Listings

Provokator
Hotel booking
The Prague Post Online contains a selection of articles that have been printed in
The Prague Post, a weekly newspaper published in the Czech Republic.
To subscribe to the print paper, click here.
Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.