Molten Chocolate Cake

Molten chocolate cake

serves 4

125g butter; plus a little for buttering the molds
112g bittersweet chocolate, preferably Valrhona
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons flour; plus a little more for dusting

1. In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water; heat the butter and chocolate together until the chocolate is almost completely melted. While that’s heating, beat together the eggs, yolks, and sugar with a whisk or electric beater until light and thick.

2. Beat together the melted chocolate and butter; it should be quite warm. Pour in the egg mixture, then quickly beat in the flour; just until combined.

3. Butter and lightly flour four 4-ounce molds, custard cups, or ramekins. Tap out the excess flour Divide the batter among the molds. (At this point you can refrigerate the desserts until you are ready to eat, for up to several hours; bring them to room temperature before baking.)

4. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Bake the molds on a tray for 6 to 7 minutes; the center will still be quite soft, but the sides will be set.

5. Invert each mold onto a plate and let sit for about 10 seconds. Unmold by lifting one corner of the mold; the cake will fall out onto the plate. Serve immediately.

Sweet azuki bean soup with rice cake [ Zenzai ]

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In the cold season, have a this sweet.

Ingredients(for 2 persons)

• 1 cup azuki bean
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 pieces rice cake

Directions

1. Wash azuki bean well and drain off.
2. Put azuki bean into pan, pour 2 cups water and heat. When water comes to boil, turn the gas down and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes.
3. Put azuki bean into pressure cooker, pour 1 1/2 cups water and heat.
4. When weight started to turn, turn the gas down and simmer for 8 minutes.
5. Soak bottom of a pan into water. When pressure become flat, take off lid, add 2/3 cup sugar and heat again. Simmer for 10 minutes over low heat with stir by scoop. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and stop to heat.
6. Put grilled rice cake into bowl and pour 5).

Strawberry liqueur

1 kilogram strawberries

4 to 5 lemons

200 to 300 grams kouri-zatou (rock sugar)

1800 ml white liquor (or vodka)

Wash the strawberries, drain well and set them to dry on paper towel-lined trays. Cut the peels from the lemons, removing as much of the white as possible. Cut lemons into 2 to 3 pieces.

Pour the liquor into a large clean and dry glass jar or bottle. Remove the strawberry leaves, dropping the hulled berries into the jar. Add the lemons and rock sugar.

Seal the jar and leave it in a cool, dark place for two months, or until the liqueur turns a nice red colour. Strain to remove the fruit and transfer to clean bottles. Liqueur can be drunk immediately but will improve with further aging. Exactly in 4 months