Beef with chocolate sauce & peach purée

You're not a proper chocoholic until you put chocolate in a savory dish. Though I'm far from being utterly crazy about chocolate, I happen to have the odd craving now and then. This is the dish that came up when I craved chocolate AND a steak at the same time.

Beef with chocolate sauce for 2
2 beef steaks
2 knobs of butter
50g bacon
1 shallot
2 garlic cloves
2 cups red wine
1 cup unsalted beef broth
2 tsp whole peppercorns
a few sprigs of thyme
2 laurel leaves
2 tbsp dark chocolate broken in small bits
cocoa powder to decorate

Heat the butter in a casserole on a medium heat until it foams. Brown the bacon. Remove it from the pot and set aside.

Finely cut the shallot and garlic cloves. Put the shallot and garlic in the casserole and cook until soft.

Pour over the red wine and add the thyme, laurel leaves and whole peppercorns. Take the bacon and place back in the pot. Lower the heat and let simmer until the liquid has almost dissapeared.

Add the unsalted beef broth and reduce again. When ready, pass the sauce through a fine sieve to get rid of all the bits and pieces.

You should now have a few spoonfuls of concentrated and flagrant sauce.

With the sauce well away from heat, drop in the chocolate bits and stir well to dissolve. The sauce will become rich, dark and glossy. Give it a taste - depending on the chocolate you used, you might need to add a teaspoon of honey or brown sugar.

Now it's time to prepare the beef steaks. Pat dry and season on both sides. Heat the second knob of butter in a skillet and sear the steaks to your liking. Let rest for a few minutes while you reheat the chocolate sauce. Do it on the lowest heat and watch closely not to burn the chocolate.

Slice the steaks, arrange on plates and pour over the chocolate sauce. Sprinkle some cocoa on top and serve.


The chocolate sauce also matches wonderfully with lamb or venison, so get creative and experiment. You can also make a larger quantity of sauce and freeze it until the next special occasion (just add the chocolate afterwards).

Sweet potato & peach purée for 2
2 orange sweet potatoes
2 fresh peaches
know of butter
bit of salt

Bring some salted water to a boil. Plunge the peaches in for a few seconds and then cool in a bowl of cold water. Now the skins will easily come off. Peel, stone and cut in quarters.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut in dices. Boil for 5 minutes, then add the peach quarters. Continue boiling until you can easily pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork.

Using a food processor, blend the sweet potatoes and peaches to a smooth purée. Stir in the butter and abandon yourself to the new taste.

This recipe makes 0.4kilos/person of pure goodness.

Dark chocolate & orange cake

You don't need a special occasion to pamper yourself with this luscious cake. And if you are actually preparing for a special occasion, don't waste your time in the kitchen: making this cake takes at most 1/2 hour.

The base of the cake is a quick chocolate fondant baked in the microwave. The internet is packed with chocolate fondant recipes but in my opinion the majority ask for too vast quantities of sugar or not enough chocolate... After many trials & errors, I ended up with one foolproof recipe that literally melts in your mouth. Total prep & baking time: 11 minutes!

The fondant is as delicious plain as it is with different kinds of flavours: caramelised ginger, chili, lavender, lemon... whatever your mood (or supplies).

Dark chocolate fondant for 6 or 8
200g dark chocolate
80g butter
3 eggs
50g flour
50g sugar
(for this particular cake swap the sugar for 3 tsbp orange marmalade)

Break the chocolate in small pieces. Place it in a microwave safe bowl together with the butter. Microwave on medium-low for about 1 minute or until the butter melts. Stir until the chocolate pieces dissolve completely.

In another bowl whisk the eggs with the sugar. Add the flour and whisk again. Incorporate the melted chocolate and butter.

Butter a cake dish and pour the mixture inside. Microwave on high for 4-5 minutes, until the center is set. The cake has to look moist, so be careful not to overbake it (in a microwave the cake won't burn, but turn into a rock hard useless thingy - even worse).

Let cool.

Orange ganache
150g dark chocolate
150ml double cream
1-2 tbsp Calvados, Grand Marnier or another strong alcohol

Chop the chocolate in pieces. Bring the cream to a boil. Take away from heat and stir in the chocolate. When it's completely melted, add the alcohol, cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or until spreadable).

Orange mascarpone filling
150g mascarpone (or soft cheese)
2 tbsp orange marmalade

Mix.

Before assembling the cake, choose a nice cake stand. Cut the chocolate fondant in two horizontally using a long knife and some skill. Spread the mascarpone between the two layers. Top the cake with a generous quantity of orange ganache and sprinkle some orange zest on top.

Chill until serving or indulge directly.

This recipe makes 0.2kilos/person of pure goodness.