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7. Cover the baking dish with recycled foil or with a small baking tray and bake the cakes until set, 25 to 30 minutes. (When completely baked, the tops of the pudding cakes will no longer jiggle.)

8. Remove from the oven, uncover the ramekins, and allow the cakes to sit in the water bath for 5 minutes. Serve the cakes in the ramekins, or run a butter knife around the inside of each ramekin and invert it onto a small dessert plate. Serve with Whipped Cream (page 233) and garnish with the mint or edible flower petals, if desired.

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COOK’S NOTE: To make brioche bread crumbs, cut the brioche loaves into hunks, put in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until you have smooth, even crumbs. If you can’t find brioche bread, substitute freshly baked egg bread or a croissant—they are similar in texture.

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green tip

Be careful when choosing chocolate. Cacao beans are imported into the United States from developing countries where, for the most part, both humans and the environment are being exploited. Be sure to look for chocolate labeled “fair-trade certified.” Companies that place fair trade labels on their products guarantee that the workers receive fair wages for their work. (The same goes for coffee.)

death by chocolate

“Twill make Old Women Young and Fresh; Create New Motions of the Flesh. And cause them long for you know what, If they but taste of chocolate.”

—James Wadworth,

A History of the Nature and Quality of Chocolate

I live and breathe chocolate. I snack on chocolate bars, make cups of creamy hot chocolate, throw cocoa powder into fruit shakes, and devour chocolate desserts at every opportunity. If I could somehow wear it, I would. It makes no difference what type of chocolate it is—dark, milk, white—I love it all.

The good news is that recent health studies have done nothing but praise chocolate. Research has shown that the flavonoids in dark chocolate fight free radicals, which are highly reactive molecules that can cause brain and tissue damage, as well as lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Chocolate contains nearly eight times more antioxidants than strawberries according to nutritionist Sofia Segounis. The darker the chocolate, the more antioxidants it contains. In addition, dark chocolate contains serotonin, which acts as an antidepressant—no wonder eating chocolate makes us so happy. With so many health benefits, chocolate lovers should indulge guilt free.

Certified organic chocolate is a relatively new category. As an organic food, no ingredient in the chocolate may be genetically modified. In addition, if milk is used in the chocolate, it must not contain rBGH, a growth hormone given to cows to increase milk production. The cacao bean itself must come from organically grown plots. (According to the Pesticide Awareness Network, conventional cocoa is number two after cotton in terms of pesticide use.) Organic chocolate, free of any artificial ingredients, is thought to maximize the health benefits present in the cacao bean.

There’s also an environmental aspect to organic chocolate. Cacao trees grow in rain forests, and many producers are working to ensure that no rain forest land is destroyed to harvest the beans. Many organic chocolate producers also work with farmers to establish sustainable farming practices and have fair-trade policies.

dark chocolate–dipped trio: strawberries, black olives, and walnuts

SERVES 6 TO 12

This dessert is for the sophisticated palate, with a contrast of sweet and savory. It can be served as a light dessert or with coffee after the main dessert.

One

31/2-ounce bar dark chocolate

12

strawberries, with stems on

1

teaspoon red peppercorns, crushed with a mortar and pestle or peppermill

12

walnut halves

1/2

teaspoon pink Himalayan salt or another flaky gourmet salt

12

Moroccan olives with pits

1. Line a baking sheet or serving tray with parchment paper.

2. Melt the chocolate in a double