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Salted caramel and stem ginger fondants with caramel physalis and whiskey cream
Serves 6 Desserts and puddings
For the salted caramel and stem ginger sauce
- 100g butter
- 100g soft brown sugar
- 100ml double cream
- 50g golden syrup
- 4 pieces stem ginger in syrup, drained and coarsely chopped
For the fondants
- 130g butter, plus 30g for greasing the moulds
- 1-2tbsp cocoa powder, for dusting the moulds
- 200g dark chocolate
- 1tsp vanilla bean paste
- 3 eggs, plus 3 egg yolks
- 90g caster sugar
- 50g plain flour
For the whiskey cream
- 300ml double cream
- 2-3tbsp icing sugar
- 4-5tbsp Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey whiskey liqueur
For the caramel physalis and caramel shapes
- 125g physalis
- 150g caster sugar
Method
To make the salted caramel and stem ginger sauce, put all the ingredients except for the stem ginger into a saucepan and stir over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Let it bubble for 3-4 minutes, until nicely thickened. Stir in a good pinch of sea salt flakes, remove from the heat and leave to cool. Stir the stem ginger into the sauce. Transfer the sauce into a bowl and put it in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or ideally overnight, until stiff.
When ready to make your fondants, butter the moulds, dust with cocoa powder and set aside. Melt the 130g butter and the chocolate together in a bowl set over a pan of bubbling water. Leave the mixture to cool, then stir in the vanilla paste, eggs, egg yolks, caster sugar and flour. Combine well, ensuring all the flour is mixed in.
Spoon enough fondant mixture into each mould to come halfway up the sides. Add a generous tsp of salted caramel sauce to the centre of the mix (if you add it to the side, the pudding will not come out of the mould easily), then fill the moulds with the remaining chocolate fondant mix.
To make the whiskey cream, whisk the cream, icing sugar and whiskey liqueur together until thick. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/ Gas 4. To make the caramel physalis and shapes, put the caster sugar in a heavy-based saucepan and melt over a medium heat, caramelising to a mid-amber colour. (To prevent the caramel overcooking, put the base of the pan briefly into a bowl of cold water.) Dip the physalis into the caramel and stand them on a piece of baking parchment. Use the remaining caramel to create Christmas tree shapes (or simply freestyle). If the caramel has set too hard, heat it very briefly until starting to soften again.
Cook the fondants for exactly 11 minutes. You can make them the night before and refrigerate them – but if so, add an extra couple of minutes to the cooking time. Rest for 2 minutes.
Carefully turn the fondants out of their moulds, top with caramel physalis and caramel shapes and serve with the whiskey cream.
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