What to bake this weekend: Sophie White’s chocolate pots

For this recipe, inspired by my dad, I couldn’t not include something chocolatey. Chocolate was like his life force. Ordering dessert in a restaurant was no hardship for Kev – he would just scan the list for the word “chocolate” and, without further investigation into the dish, would simply point and order. I get my embarrassing penchant for hiding bars of chocolate from him also. Whenever himself unearths a cachet of sea salt dark chocolate and duly mocks me, my defence is always that it’s a hereditary trait.

Sophie White’s chocolate pots
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 410ml single cream
• 200g plain chocolate, broken into pieces
• 2 tsp instant coffee
• 2 tbsp whiskey or coffee liqueur
• 1 egg

Method

1. Pour 300ml of the cream into a saucepan and gently heat until just bubbling. Remove from the heat, carefully add in the chocolate pieces, then whisk together to melt the chocolate and combine it thoroughly with the cream. Whisk in the coffee and whiskey.
2. At this point, have a little taste to make sure the booze levels are to your satisfaction. Leave to cool to room temperature, then whisk in the egg. Pour the mixture into little glasses. I use quite generous shot glasses, but small tumblers or espresso cups also work.
3. Place on a tray, cover with clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours until set.
4. Whip the remaining cream until it holds soft peaks, then spoon into the glasses. Serve with biscotti.

Extracted from Recipes for a Nervous Breakdown by Sophie White (Gill Books)