Jamie Oliver's chocolate pots

If you look at the categories section in the right sidebar of this blog, you'll see that there are only five entries for desserts. Dear reader, don't be fooled into thinking that I don't eat sweet things. I do and with great pleasure, too. Still, I have to admit that given the choice between a cheeseboard and the dessert menu, I'll go for the cheese board eight times out of ten.* And if I make more than one course for dinner for the Boyfriend and myself I'll probably make a starter and not dessert. I'll always make dessert when I have guests though and I made these chocolate pots from Jamie Oliver's The Return of the Naked Chef for peanut-bee last week. I've been meaning to try these for a long time but I just never got round to it so far. They're very good, as gooey and as decadent as a chocolate dessert can get, which is exactly what some people will love them for and others won't. I suggest you make these only if you know the preferences of you guests. The way of serving these in little cups was great, I thought - more elegant than serving from a large bowl. As for portion size they were on the side of too big in my opinion - I'll make them even smaller the next time, even though the quantity given in the book made six pots/espresso cups and not four as indicated. I will also definitely try these with the whipped egg whites folded into the chocolate mixture as suggested in the book.

Jamie Oliver's chocolate pots (serves 4 to 6, depending on the size of your espresso cups)

• 285ml single cream (I used reduced fat by mistake and it worked perfectly)
• 200g good-quality chocolate with a cocoa content of 70%
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons brandy
• 20g butter

In a thick-bottomed pan, heat the cream until nearly boiling. Remove and set aside for one minute before snapping in the chocolate. Stir until melted and smooth. Once melted, stir in the egg yolks and brandy and stir until smooth. Allow to cool slightly before stirring in your butter until the mixture is smooth. Pour into individual serving pots and place them in the fridge for a few hours until set.

* Writing this post made me think of the dessert carts some restaurants used to have when I was a child. Whatever happened to them? Dust them off and bring them back, I say! I'm sure that for my part, I'd be lured into having dessert every time...