Food Friday #2

The next installment of Food Fridays--this one a bit early because I'm going to NYC tomorrow and won't be back till Tuesday.

I made these Chocolate Lava Muffins (an Alton Brown recipe, for anyone who watches Food Network)for Valentine's Day dessert this year, and they are truly incredible. They're also frighteningly easy to make, and so it's tempting to whip up a batch just to have around the house--except that they're basically pure chocolate and eggs and sugar, which isn't exactly healthy per se. Unless you count tastebud happiness as a part of your general mental well-being.

Chocolate Lave Muffins
(click here for the recipe on the Food Network site)

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 stick butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
Butter, to coat muffin tin
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1 teaspoon espresso powder

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place a small metal bowl over a saucepan with simmering water. Melt the chocolate and butter in the bowl. Stir in vanilla.

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour and salt. Sift these into the chocolate and mix well with electric hand mixer. Add eggs one at time, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next. Beat at high until batter is creamy and lightens in color, approximately 4 minutes. Chill mixture [I chilled these for approximately forty minutes--while we ate dinner--but I think they're only supposed to be chilled for as long as it takes you to coat the muffin pan. Either way works.]

Coat the top and each cup of the muffin tin with butter. Dust with the cocoa powder and shake out excess. Spoon mixture into pan using a 4-ounce scoop or ladle. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes. Outsides should be cake-like and centers should be gooey.

While muffins are in oven, melt the ice cream in a small saucepan. Stir in the espresso powder. Serve over warm muffins.

Yield: 1 dozen