I know drinking expresso is so very sexy, so cosmopolitan, so basking in the sun outside a cafe in Paris with a handsome French man like a scene out of La Vie en Rose, but I just can't approve of it. Not only do you look RIDICULOUS (men especially) squeezing your fingers into that tiny cup and then holding it like you'd imagine the Queen would a tea cup, but expresso tastes like tar marinaded in cigarette butts. Anyway when we got a set of super cute expresso cups for Christmas I didn't want to let them go to waste and thought they were the perfect size for mousse/creamy desserts. These chocolate pots are so rich that the expresso cup is the perfect portion size. Served with shortbread stars.
Its tempting to attack this in the bowl before it even gets to the cups. Use a spoon or you'll end up looking like this little guy but a lot less cute.
From Neven Maguire, Neven's Real Food For Families
Serves 6
450ml cream
75g golden caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp Bailey's cream liqueur
250g good quality dark chocolate, broken up into squares
small pinch of salt
1 large egg, beaten lightly
Pour the cream into a large saucepan and add the sugar and vanilla extract. Warm for 3-4 minutes stirring now and then. Do not boil.
Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until you can feel no lumps, it has all dissolved. Then stir in the Bailey's with the salt and egg until well combined.
Pour into the expresso cups, cover loosely with foil/cling film and leave somewhere cold (but not in the fridge) for at least 4 hours or until set. Alternatively chill overnight but take out of the fridge an hour before serving.
