Searching for wisdom

You all no doubt have UaKS bookmarked on your browsers and consult it often to obtain my wisdom on food and other matters. But every once in a while, someone else needs reminding about how to find my blog and I didn't use to have a good answer, other than to write out the unwieldy URL. Now, though, you can just Google "paul ferrer use a kitchen scale" (no quotation marks needed when you type in the search) and two or three pages from the blog usually show up as the top hits. (This also works on DuckDuckGo if you want to keep Google out of your business—good luck with that!) You don't even get any hits for my other self. Way to finally get with the program, Google.

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If you're still on the lookout for something sweet to make for Valentine's Day and the Chai Spice Ganache Truffles aren't doing it for you, here is another, simpler and quicker, option. Mom and I sacrificed and had these lava cakes three times in the past week so I could get them just right for you. The flavors were spot on from the get-go but, as was the case with the truffles, the method and instructions needed some work. Especially problematic was the suggested cooking time, which was 30% too short. That means my first effort resulted in a thin layer of cake on the top covering a pool of chocolate underneath. Back into the oven they went. After three tries, it looks like 14 minutes, with a two-minute rest after baking, is just about the perfect time to produce a mostly-cooked cake, with a molten core in the center (which is what makes it a "lava" cake). You can substitute a little orange or blood orange zest if you can't find clementines, or just skip the zest entirely if you're not a big fan of the orange-chocolate combination.

Clementine Chocolate Lava Cakes

Adapted from Eric Kim via Food52

Time from start to finish: 25 minutes

The recipe can be doubled to serve 4. If you make a double recipe, start with 2½ minutes in step 2 when melting the chocolate in the microwave.

You need two 6-ounce ramekins to make this recipe, four if you're doubling it. I've seen these ramekins for $2 each at Wegmans, the same price at Bed, Bath & Beyond if you use a 20% coupon. The ramekins are really useful even apart from this recipe; I use them all the time for ingredient prep, including stirring spices together.

57 grams (2 ounces) dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), chopped fine
1 large egg (~57 grams in the shell)
¼ cup (53 grams) olive oil
¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch of fine sea salt
the zest of ½ a clementine
powdered sugar, for garnish

    1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400 degrees. Spray two 6-ounce ramekins (see note) with nonstick cooking spray and place them on the smallest sheet pan you own (mine is a 10-by-6-inch eighth sheet pan).
    2. In a small bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave. Start with 2 minutes on 50% power (start with less time if your microwave is more than 800 watts). Stir well. If necessary, zap in additional 10- to 15-second increments, still on 50% power, until the chocolate is smooth, stirring after each zap.
    3. Meanwhile, place the egg, oil, sugar, vanilla, salt, and zest in another small bowl. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is light in color and fluffy, at least 1 minute. Using a silicone spatula, scrape the egg mixture into the bowl with the melted chocolate, and fold together gently until the mixture is uniform in color.
    4. Scrape the mixture into the ramekins as evenly as possible (~100 grams per ramekin). Bake until the tops are slightly cracked and the cakes have puffed to, or just over, the rims of the ramekins and jiggle slightly at the center when the ramekins are shaken gently, about 14 minutes. If you overbake, it will still be tasty, but you won’t have a molten center.
    5. Wait 2 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar and serve promptly, still in the ramekins, before the centers set, taking care with the hot ramekins. Serves 2 (see note).