Chocolate Rum Pots

I’ve been a bit off the boil, so to speak, with cake baking. I did however make these chocolate pots on Saturday night for some friends – they are pretty delicious and dead simple.  They are very mousse-like without the use of horrible gelatine, so I’d call them a mousse rather than a chocolate pot, which implies that they are dense and dark. It’s the first recipe I’ve made from Chocolate Box, a book that came with a chocolate hamper from Marks and Spencer (a welcome Christmas present).

Ingredients
225g/8oz plain chocolate (I used Co-op’s own fair trade, which is very good)
4 eggs, separated
6 tbsp caster sugar
4 tbsp dark rum
4 tbsp double cream

Method (makes 6)
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water and leave to cool slightly.
Whisk the egg yolks with the caster sugar until very pale and fluffy (I didn’t get mine to go ‘fluffy’ – i think that’s the wrong description?)
Drizzle in the melted chocolate and fold together with the rum and cream.
Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form and fold into the chocolate mix in two batches. Divide between 6 individual dishes (I used my lovely ivy-leaf cups and saucers and you can see) and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

They suggest decorating with whipped cream and chocolate shapes but I just plonked a few raspberries on top which went beautifully with the chocolate.