Molten Dark Chocolate Fondants with No-Churn Pistachio Ice Cream

⏱ 60 min · Serves 4

A restaurant-worthy dessert double act: deep, barely-set chocolate puddings that spill their molten centre the second your spoon breaks in, cooled by a nutty, faintly salty pistachio ice cream you make with no machine at all. Make the ice cream the day before and the fondants take just twenty minutes on the night.

Per serving: 1080 kcal · 18.0g protein · 83.0g carbs · 76.0g fat

Ingredients

• For the pistachio ice cream (make ahead):
• 120g shelled unsalted pistachios, plus 20g chopped to serve
• 300ml double cream, cold
• 200ml condensed milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tbsp light olive oil (or neutral oil)
• For the fondants:
• 120g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped
• 120g unsalted butter, cubed, plus 20g softened for greasing
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder, for dusting the moulds
• 2 large eggs, plus 2 large egg yolks
• 90g caster sugar
• 50g plain flour
• Pinch of sea salt

Method

1. Make the ice cream first. Toast 120g pistachios in a dry pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until fragrant, then cool. Blitz with the oil and salt in a small processor for 3-4 minutes, scraping down, until you have a coarse, loose paste.
2. Whisk the cold double cream to soft peaks. Fold in the condensed milk, vanilla and the pistachio paste until marbled and even. Scrape into a loaf tin, cover and freeze at least 6 hours or overnight.
3. For the fondants, brush 4 x 175ml dariole moulds or ramekins generously with softened butter, going upwards in strokes, then dust with cocoa powder, tapping out the excess. Chill the moulds.
4. Melt the chocolate and 120g butter together in a bowl over barely simmering water, stirring until glossy. Cool for 5 minutes.
5. Whisk the eggs, yolks and sugar with an electric whisk for 3-4 minutes until pale, thick and doubled in volume.
6. Fold the warm chocolate mixture into the eggs in two additions, then sift over the flour and salt and fold gently until just combined.
7. Divide between the moulds, leaving 1cm at the top. Chill for at least 20 minutes (or up to 24 hours). Heat the oven to 200C fan / 220C conventional.
8. Bake on a tray for 11-12 minutes from chilled (13 if fridge-cold overnight): the tops should be set and domed with a slight wobble in the centre.
9. Rest 1 minute, run a knife around the edge, invert onto warm plates and lift off the moulds.
10. Serve immediately with a scoop of pistachio ice cream and a scatter of chopped pistachios.