Chocolate Hot Pots - with a spicy Valentine's twist!

In my dreams I gorge on chocolates, I roll in chocolates, and their texture is not brittle but soft as flesh, like a thousand mouths on my body, devouring me in fluttering small bites. To die beneath their tender gluttony seems the culmination of every temptation I have ever known.

JOANNE HARRIS, Chocolat

hmmmmm chocolate; considered throughout history as an aphrodisiac, an indulgence and a delightful gift for the one you love (although take note chaps.. a box of mass produced choccies from the petrol station on your way home does not a sensual Valentine's gift make!)
If you've ever read Joanne Harris's wonderful novel, Chocolat (or indeed seen the movie of the same name - hello Johnny Depp!) you may have wondered, as I did, what that combination of chilli & chocolate is really like? I experimented with this recently when we had an impromptu dinner party & I needed to whip up something delish for dessert. My best 'last minute but looks like you're a kitchen goddess' dessert recipe is form the Domestic Goddess herself - Nigella Lawson
Her chocolate hot pots ( I think she calls them Choco Hoto Pots) are so easy to make, without any tricky ingredients & really do have the wow factor - sometimes I garnish them with raspberries, or mint leaves & I once served them up with orange slices that had been soaked in Amaretto. On this particular occasion I added a cheeky teaspoon or two of chilli powder - and this is how I'll be serving them up for Valentine's Day tomorrow
Here is the run down of the recipe, taken from the video clip below - pouting & sensual licking of the spoon is optional!

• 3/4 cup / 100g  of dark chocolate (70% or above) broken into chunks
• 1 stick / 4oz / 115g softened unsalted butter
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup / 5oz / 150g of sugar
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tsp chilli powder (with this much you can taste it but it's not too hot!)

Set oven at 200 degrees C. Melt the choc chunks with the butter in a bain marie, add the chilli (vary according to taste) & set aside to cool a bit. Whisk the eggs & sugar together & add in the flour.  Fold in the cooled choc mixture. Pour into four greased ramekins & put them onto a tray in the the oven for about 20 mins



And here is the lovely Nigella at her sensual best... enjoy!
Think I'll get my sugar fix this evening by watching the movie, have a great weekend xx