Recipe: Flourless Chocolate Cakes with White Chocolate Vanilla Sauce

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE VANILLA SAUCE

"This is one of those "Let's share a dessert" desserts. It's beyond rich and will satisfy almost any chocoholic. The cake is very easy to make and will keep for a few days, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. You will need six (3-inch) steel ring molds."

3 cups finely chopped high-quality semisweet chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
White Chocolate Vanilla Sauce (for serving, recipe follows)
Edible gold leaf, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Oil the inside of 6 (3-inch) steel ring molds, and set them in the baking pan.

Place a pot of water over medium-low heat. When the water is very hot, but not boiling, place the chocolate and butter in a heat- proof bowl and set over the pot of water until melted. Stir the chocolate and butter together, and remove from the heat. Set aside to cool at room temperature.

In an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar on high speed for about 5 minutes, until doubled in volume.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until smooth. Be careful not to deflate the volume. Divide the mixture evenly among the ring molds and place in the oven.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the eggs have set but the cakes are still soft. Place the pan on a rack to cool for 1 hour.

Before unmolding, refrigerate the cakes for at least 2 hours. It's best to work with the cakes when they are cold.

TO SERVE:
Set out 6 dessert plates.

To unmold the cakes, gently run a thin-bladed knife around the inside of the ring mold, and lift the mold up and off the cake. Carefully place a cake on each plate. Spoon a small puddle of the sauce next to the cake, and garnish with the gold leaf

WHITE CHOCOLATE VANILLA SAUCE

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 Tahitian vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped*
2 cups very finely chopped high-quality white couverture chocolate
6 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream

Combine the sugar, water, and vanilla seeds in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, until the flavors meld. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until smooth. Add the heavy cream and stir until smooth.

*HOW TO SCRAPE SEEDS FROM A VANILLA BEAN:
Using a small, sharp knife, split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Using the dull side of a narrow table knife, carefully scrape the pulpy seeds into a small bowl.

TIP: HOW TO MAKE VANILLA SUGAR:
If you don't need the scraped pods for your recipe, rinse them and dry thoroughly in a low (250 degree F) oven, and then place them in your bags of granulated and powdered sugar. They add delicious aroma and subtle flavor to the sugar.

Makes approximately 30 cookies
Source: Geronimo by Cliff Skoglund and Eric DiStefano