Chocolate Fondants with Salted Caramel Sauce

I spent a few days at home with my family in Paris which is always a favorite way to catch up on anything culinary. I have difficulty finding fresh fish on a regular basis in Montreal, so Paris is always a great time to indulge. My highlights from this trip were scallop carpaccio with lime vinaigrette and simple pan fried sole fillets with lightly creamed spinach. Another favorite? Marinated salmon with pink peppercorn, pickled cucumbers and good olive oil. I also got to spend a couple hours at l'Atelier des Chefs with my mom - a new cooking class concept where you learn how to make a couple dishes with a chef and then get to taste the results as group.

The main dish was good, but the dessert was definitely an easy favorite: Chocolate Fondants with Salted Caramel Sauce. The salted caramel sauce was definitely the highlight for me. You could spoon it over a less indulgent fruit salad, or over vanilla bean ice cream. It's also a great and easy way to dress up your favorite brownie recipe. The salty-sweet combination is always a winner in my book, so this was a real delight! Have you ever tried adding a little fleur de sel on top of a frothy homemade hot chocolate? If you haven't, give it a try - the deep chocolate flavor just bursts through and it's absolutely delicious!

Chocolate Fondants with Salted Caramel Sauce
Serves 6

For the Fondants
200 grams of Dark Bittersweet Chocolate
20cl of milk
135 grams of egg whites
55 grams of granulated sugar
10 grams of cornstarch
40 grams of egg yolks
20 grams of unsalted butter

For the Salted Caramel Sauce
200 grams granulated sugar
40 grams of salted butter
30 cl of heavy cream

Preheat your oven to 450°F.

In a small saucepan, place the milk and bring it a high simmer. Whisk in the cornstarch until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and reserve. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Butter 6 individual-sized ramekins, sprinkle extra granulated sugar over the butter and shake off excess.

Beat the egg whites to soft peaks using a hand mixer. Add the sugar and beat until hard peaks (about 2 minutes).

Make sure the milk mixture is smooth - if it isn't, whisk to bring the mixture back to a smooth consistency. In a separate bowl, slowly mix the egg yolks with the milk (which should be lukewarm at this point) adding yolks a little bit a time to make sure the eggs don't heat too fast. Add the melted chocolate and mix until well incorporated. Add 1/3 of the egg whites and whisk to loosen the batter. Add the rest of the egg whites and very gently fold them in to not break them and keep them fluffy and airy.

Bake in the oven for 8 minutes.

Salted Caramel Sauce
While the fondants are baking, make the caramel sauce. In a saucepan, add the sugar on medium heat and let it caramelized (about 5 minutes). Be very careful and keep a constant eye on the sugar as it will start burning quickly and is extremely warm. If the sugar seems to pile up in certain areas of the saucepan, gently swirl the pan. Don't use a wooden or silicone spoon as the sugar will stick and get messy. Swirl as little as possible though, and let the caramelization happen on its own. Once the sugar just reaches a nice amber color, reduce the heat to low, and add the butter in small cubes. Be careful as the sugar might splatter. Once the butter has melted, add the cream. Taste and adjust with an extra pinch of salted to taste.

Remove the fondants from the oven and, using a small spoon poke a small hole in the center of the fondant. Add a couple spoonfuls of salted caramel sauce and serve immediately.