Instructions

40 Minutes, (4 people) Difficulty---not for beginners Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Cut-break the chocolate in small pieces, melt it in a double-boiler or microwave oven. When completely melted, remove from the heat to cool slightly. While still warm; add the softened butter in pieces, blending in with the warm chocolate. A wire whisk is recommended. Break the eggs and put the whites and yolks in two different bowls. Add the sugar to the yolks and beat with an electric egg beater until the mixture is puffy, frothy and whitish. Continuing to use the beater, add the sifted flour and cocoa and the butter and chocolate mixture. With a very clean and dry egg beater, beat the whites until stiff and delicately fold in by hand in two stages. Pour the mixture into six well-greased muffin tins and bake for exactly 8 minutes. Note that similar volume size ramekin can be used but the time to bake needs increasing---best to use the muffin tins because of how the heat transfers through the metal. Remove from the oven and wait two minutes before turning them out on dessert plates. Serve hot, if desired on a very cold crème anglaise flavored with vanilla or Cointreau; they are also excellent plain or served on a coulis of strawberries or raspberries. The high heat of the oven will make the "muffins" immediately form a hard outer crust while the insides remain soft and creamy, which is why they need to be baked. You can prepare the batter ahead of time, storing the filled muffin tins in the refrigerator until you wish to bake them.