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Chocolate Chipotle Cakes

Wine Pairing: Rex Goliath Shiraz

Ingredients

• Ramekins

  • 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar

• Cakes

  • 6 medium dried chipotle chilies (1 oz.)
  • 6 Tablespoons fresh orange juice (about two large navel oranges)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 10 oz. quality semisweet chocolate (Valrhona or Scharffen Berger), finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 4 large eggs
  • 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Thin strips of orange zest from one orange, for garnish

• Tomatillo Sauce

  • 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 1/2 Ib small fresh tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 (1-inch) piece cinnamon stick

Directions

Preheat: oven to 300°F.

Prepare Ramekins: Lightly butter 8 small ramekins and dust with granulated sugar.

Puree Chilies: In a dry saute pan toast chilies over moderate heat, turning until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Discard stems, seeds and ribs, then soak chilies in hot water until softened, about 15 minutes. Remove chilies and reserve soaking liquid. In a mini food processor/blender, puree chi lies, adding 3 Tablespoons of soaking liquid as needed to form a paste. Force paste through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and discard solids. Set aside 1 1/2 tablespoons chili paste.

Prepare Batter: In a small saucepan, bring juice and sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. In a large bowl with the chopped chocolate pour in the hot syrup, stirring until chocolate is melted. Add butter and stir until melted. Add eggs 1 at a time, whisking after each addition, then stir in chili paste, flour and salt.

Bake Cakes: Place ramekins on baking tray and divide batter among ramekins. Bake uncovered, until completely set and a crust has formed on top, about 40-50 minutes. Remove ramekins and place on cooling rack for 2 minutes.

Make Sauce: In a small saucepan, scrape seeds from vanilla bean using a paring knife , then add vanilla bean, tomatiilos, brown sugar, water and cinnamon stick. Simmer uncovered, over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tomatillos are very tender, about 15 minutes. Remove vanilla bean and cinnamon stick, then puree tomatillo mixture in blender until smooth. Cover the blender with a towel as it can spit. Cool completely, then chill in freezer, covered, until cold.

Serve Cakes: Serve in ramekin with a spoonful of sauce on top and garnished with orange zest. Extra sauce can be served at tableside in a pitcher.

Serves 8