Name: Perfect match: chocolate pots with Pedro Ximénez
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Chocolate pots; 200 gm dark chocolate (64.5% cocoa solids), melted; 300 ml pouring cream, whisked to soft peaks; 2 tbsp Pedro Ximénez; 3 egg yolks; 55 gm caster sugar (¼ cup); Pedro Ximénez-spiced sour cherries; 125 ml Pedro Ximénez (½ cup); 1 tbsp golden caster sugar; 1 whole star anise; 1 piece of orange peel, removed with a peeler; 100 gm dried sour cherries (see note) (½ cup)

Matching wine with chocolate is fraught with difficulty. Sweet, milky chocolate tends to make most wines taste lean and hard – unless the wine is much sweeter than the chocolate; and dark, high cocoa-content chocolate can be bitter and clash with any astringency and/or acid in wine. This is why the very best wine for chocolate and choc-based dessert tends to be very sweet, soft and rich fortifieds. Muscat can be good, tokay excellent, but the chocolate wine par excellence is Spain’s ‘black sherry’ – or other fortified wines – made from extremely ripe, raisined Pedro Ximénez grapes. Adding some citrussy, fruity, spicy flavours into the mix, as in this dessert, makes the match even more fabulous. – Max Allen

It’s a hard ask for a wine to withstand the sweet assault of chocolatey things, but Spain’s Pedro Ximénez fits the bill.

Ingredients

Chocolate pots

200 gm dark chocolate (64.5% cocoa solids), melted

300 ml pouring cream, whisked to soft peaks

2 tbsp Pedro Ximénez

3 egg yolks

55 gm caster sugar (¼ cup)

Pedro Ximénez-spiced sour cherries

125 ml Pedro Ximénez (½ cup)

1 tbsp golden caster sugar

1 whole star anise

1 piece of orange peel, removed with a peeler

100 gm dried sour cherries (see note) (½ cup)

Method

Main

1.For cherries, combine Pedro Ximénez, caster sugar, star anise and orange peel in a saucepan over medium heat, bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Add cherries, increase heat to medium, return to the boil, then remove from heat and cool.

2.Heat chocolate, cream and Pedro Ximénez in a heatproof bowl placed over gently boiling water, stirring occasionally, until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth.

3.Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a separate heatproof bowl placed over gently simmering water for 5 minutes or until thick and pale. Combine chocolate and egg yolk mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk on high for 5 minutes or until mixture is thick and cool.

4.Divide half the cherries between six ½ cup-capacity ramekins, spoon over chocolate mixture and refrigerate for 1 hour or until set. Serve chocolate pots topped with remaining cherries and a glass of Pedro Ximénez.