Simon Rogan

Recipe from Rogan: The Cookbook.

Published by HarperCollins

Photo: Cristian Barnett

Damson Chocolate Fondant

Serves 6

Damson filling

300g damsons

2 heaped tbsp caster sugar

Chocolate fondant

250g unsalted butter, plus extra softened

butter for greasing

3 tbsp cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting

250g dark chocolate (60% cocoa solids), broken into pieces

5 eggs, plus 5 egg yolks

125g caster sugar

100g plain flour

Brush six dariole or pudding moulds evenly with softened butter. Place on a baking tray and chill the moulds for 10 minutes in the fridge until the butter has set. Once set, brush them again with softened butter and dust the insides with the cocoa powder, tapping out any excess powder that hasn’t stuck. Chill the moulds again until required.

To make the damson filling, put the damsons and 100ml water in a medium, heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the fruit for 10–12 minutes. Strain the cooked damsons

through a fine sieve into a clean, heavy-based saucepan, pushing as much of the pulp as you can through the sieve using the back of a spoon or ladle. Discard the damson stones. Add the sugar to the damson juice and cook over a low–medium heat for 15–20 minutes until the mixture has the consistency of jam. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Divide the damson mixture between six holes in a 20ml ice-cube tray and transfer to the freezer until hard.

While the damson filling is freezing, melt the butter and chocolate together in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water), stirring regularly. While the chocolate is melting, whisk the whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed until pale, light, fluffy and quadrupled in size. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and gently fold the melted butter and chocolate mixture through the eggs. Once fully incorporated, sift in the flour and fold through again.

Put the fondant mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes and preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4.

Keeping the moulds on the tray, pour 50–60g of the chilled fondant mixture into the bottom of each chilled mould, gently add 1 frozen damson cube and cover each cube with 50–60g of fondant mixture. Bake the fondants for 12–13 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to sit in the mould for 2 minutes before turning out on to plates. Serve immediately, dusting with cocoa powder.