Molten Chocolate- Raspberry Cupcakes (Gluten Free Optional)

This recipe came from the Everyday Food email subscription via Martha Stewart:

Every Day food with Sarah 

We choose it because she mentioned how little flour was in the recipe.  We are always looking for gluten free options when we are in Sweden, so this was perfect.  Zok used Chickpea flour for its consistency, but added in corn and bit of an all purpose gluten free until he got the texture he wanted, with the least amount of aftertaste.

Here is the recipe as Zok did it-

35 minutes from start to stomach

1/2 cup of white sugar

6 tablespoons (100 g) of room temperature butter (cut into small chunks)

4 eggs

1/2 cup of gluten free mixture (substituting for all-purpose flour)

Pinch of salt

100 g or 8 oz 70 % dark chocolate (semi-sweet)

2 fresh raspberries per cupcake

(our recipe made 10 cupcakes)

Confectioners/Powdered sugar to dust the top

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 205 c or about 400 f

Line your cupcake tin with paper cups

(melt your chocolate in a water bath)

In your mixer bowl, add your suger, then beat the butter chunks in a few at a time until fluffy

about 2 minutes (on med-high)

Then add in eggs one at a time (let each egg get beaten thoroughly before the next egg)

Turn mixer to low and add in the flour and salt

Beat in the chocolate just until combined

Fill each cupcake cup half way, add in your raspberries and then fill up the cups

Cook just until the tops are set and no longer shiny

(Zok cooked ours for 8 minutes)

Remember the middle is 'molten' so they seem a bit under cooked (you don't want to cook them as much as you would an ordinary cup cake)

Let them cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes (we ate ours only after 5 they were too tempting.)

Pecan Pie & Zok's All Purpose Pie-Crust Recipe

This was Zok's first try at making pecan pie.

This was also his first time (not his last!) eating pecan pie.

(How we forgot to eat pecan pie while we were in the Southern United States is confusing to me)- All the reviews were favorable.

Here is Zok's 'go to' pie crust recipe that he most often uses:

300 grams of all purpose flour 

(He is not particular about what type of flour he uses, although we have tried a lot of local, fancy flour types- except for bread we couldn't notice a difference.)

150 grams of unsalted butter

1 egg 

*for a fruit pie Zok would also add lemon zest

Step 1:

In a tin mixing bowl, he puts the flour (unsifted) into the bowl, he then cuts the butter into cubes (room temperature) and adds the butter into the flour until its a bit like bread crumbs, this can be done by hand or 

just chuck your flour into your electric mixer and add the butter into the flour using your paddle attachment (on low) at a steady rate.

*If adding lemon zest you would add that in last 

Step 2:

Detach your bowl if using a mixer, and add one egg, and a splash of milk (cream or buttermilk can be substituted depending on what you have on hand)

Now, combine by hand until your dough (pie crust) is holding together.

Step 3:

Make a ball of dough and wrap it in cling film, (plastic wrap), place in refrigerator to rest for half hour, before rolling out.

Pecan filling-

 3/4 cup light corn syrup

3/4 cup of sugar

1/8 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup unstalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups pecan pieces (6 ounces)

Roll out your pie crust to 11 inches for your 10 in pie pan 

Crimp your edges

Preheat your oven to 350 F/ 175 C (use your inside oven thermometer to be safe- if you don't have one, you might one to get one)
In a large bowl, combine the corn syrup, sugar, salt, eggs, vanilla and honey

Mix well

Stir in the melted butter.

Pour the mixture into the pie crust

Top with the pecans

Bake your pie for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, rotating the pie dish at about the half way into the cooking time

Your crust should be brown and your filling becomes bubbly.

Your pie should be served warm, and according to Zok must be served with your best vanilla ice-cream.