French food Froday..Chocolate pudding fleur de sel

 recipe and photo from here

Author of the bestseller Chocolat, Joanne Harris has another fabulous book for us and it involves chocolate and recipes so is sure to be another best seller...

Many of you may already know that the  word ‘pudding’ comes from the French word boudin; for sausage or blood pudding – though this pudding has little resemblance to that. Here, the sponge is given a twist with butter caramel and fleur de sel, an artisan sea salt – although any flaked sea salt will do.

Chocolate pudding fleur de sel

Serves 6-8
Butter for greasing tin
100g (3½oz) dark chocolate, broken into pieces
150g (5½oz) butter, soft
150g (5½oz) unrefined caster sugar
3 eggs
25g (1oz) cocoa powder
¼tsp sea salt
150g (5½oz) self-raising flour
2tbsp milk
For the caramel sauce
75g (2¾oz) butter
150g (5½oz) unrefined brown sugar
2tbsp golden syrup
150ml (5fl oz) double cream
A pinch of fleur de sel (from delicatessens)

Butter a 1kg (2lb 4oz) pudding basin generously.
Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
In a separate bowl, whisk the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and whisk again.
Pour in the melted chocolate, cocoa and sea salt, then whisk until smooth. Fold in the flour, then stir in the milk and mix well.
Put into the prepared pudding basin, cover with clingfilm and tie with string, making a handle to lift. Place in a large saucepan.
Pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the side of the pudding basin, then place on the hob, covered, and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 1½-2 hours. Constantly check the water and add more if needed.
To make the sauce, melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring until smooth and bubbling.
Add the cream and fleur de sel or sea salt, stir, then set aside.
Check if the pudding is cooked by inserting a knife in the centre – the blade should come out clean. Once cooked, remove the clingfilm and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Then, carefully run a palette knife around the edge and place a plate on the pudding basin; turn the basin over, shake and release the pudding on to the plate.
Spoon over a little of the caramel sauce, sprinkle with a few salt crystals and serve with the extra sauce in a jug.

...bon appétit à tous, Leeann x