Desayuno

I spent December at home, between jobs, and devoted the whole month to concocting new plans to fatten up my parents and sisters. This recipe for chocolate cakes from Louis XV’s pastry chef Becary, posted at La Tartine Gourmande, seemed to work best. My family is always glad to have me back at home for a while, but I get the feeling their stomachs are a bit relieved when I leave.

• Ingredients:

- 5 1/3 oz dark chocolate, melted in a double-boiler
- 10 2/3 oz butter at room temperature
- 5 1/3 oz sugar
- 3 1/4 oz flour, sifted
- 4 egg yolks
- 3 egg whites, whipped firmly
- A pinch ground pepper
- A pinch ground clove
- A pinch ground cinnamon
- A dash of coffee extract (or not.)

An oven, preheated at 420F

The measurements sound a little wacky –I blame crazy ounces and F. Bea gives the measurements in metric here. Makes eight to ten, depending on how much of the raw dough you eat before pouring it into the molds.

• Steps:

Chop the chocolate in coarse bits and melt it in a double-boiler. I didn’t even know about this double boiler business until Tom and I made truffles last month; all melting at my house has always been done in a Baño María (Mary’s Bath –a small pot inside a bigger one full of water. A bit messy, but with the out-of-the-blue Catholic name, definitely worth it).

Add the butter, flour and sugar (not necessarily in this order). I kept everything on top of the double boiler while I did this, to melt any butter lumps. I can never wait for things to reach room temperature. Mix thoroughly with a spatula.

Add the egg yolks and sprinkle with the spices. I didn’t have any coffee extract, so I just skipped it. The result was really good anyway!

Whip the egg whites until they are firm. Now, I know nothing about kitchen chemistry, but I have the suspicion this is an important step. I used my mom’s mixer with the two flimsy little arms, you know the one? Anyway, it woked wonders, and in two minutes the whites were stiff.

Add the whites to the chocolate mixture, slowly. I have no patience, so I dumped them in three batches. Three! What restraint!

Scoop the (very liquid) dough in well-greased muffin tins. I filled them almost to the top.

Bake at 420F for about 12 minutes (or slightly less. They are good when a little raw too). Unmold when they’re still warm, and cool on a rack.

Feed to your family and eat them for Christmas.