Chocolate Gourmandise with Chocolate Tuile and Chocolate Sauce

To make the tuiles: Using a 6-inch plastic lid from margarine or some similar plastic, cut a leaf-shaped stencil. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone sheet or foil.

Cream the sugar and butter together in the bowl of a mixer, scraping down the bowl often, until light and fluffy. Add the honey and mix well. Very slowly add the egg whites, one at a time, mixing well between each addition, until the batter is smooth. Stop the mixer and add the cocoa and 1-1/4 cups of the flour. Begin mixing again slowly, scraping down the bowl, increasing the speed as the ingredients are incorporated until the batter is smooth. Add the final 1/4 cup of flour only if the batter is runny.

Using the stencil on the prepared baking sheet, spread batter evenly on the stencil and lift. The batter should be about 1/8-inch thick. Repeat to form 6 to 8 leaves. Bake 5 to 7 minutes; a finger pressed gently into the tuile will leave a slight indentation. Remove from oven. While still hot, gently press over the bottoms of glasses, cups, or -- the chef’s suggestion -- an egg carton to form small cups. Let cool. If they become too stiff to mold before you are done, put the tuiles back in the oven for a few moments to warm again before proceeding to form the rest of the cups.

To make the cakes: Preheat the oven to 275 F. Butter six to eight 2-inch-deep-by-2-1/2 to 3-inch diameter ramekins (number depends on size selected). Have about 1-1/2 cups of water boiling.

Combine the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water and melt together, stirring occasionally. Using a mixer, beat the eggs until lemon colored and a ribbon forms when drizzled back on themselves. Stop the mixer, add the cocoa and sugar all at once, and slowly restart the mixer. Bring up to speed as the mixture blends, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Once mixed, add the chocolate-butter mixture and beat at high speed until the mixture thickens (10 -15 seconds). Divide the mixture among the ramekins, filling no more than two-thirds full. Place the ramekins in a large baking pan and add the boiling water around the ramekins, filling half way up the sides. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until set. Remove from oven and water bath and let stand for 10 minutes before inverting directly on the serving plates and removing the ramekins. Serve immediately. The cakes can be made ahead of time and reheated in the ramekins in a 275 F oven in a hot water bath for 15 minutes just before serving.

To make the sauce: Combine the syrup, sugar, water, and cocoa in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to combine. When the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth, remove from heat and gradually stir in the chocolate. The sauce will be smooth and glossy.

To serve: Place one warm chocolate cake off-center on each serving plate. Ladle warm chocolate sauce over and around the cakes. Place a tuile leaf cup next to each cake and fill with vanilla ice cream. Put the dusting cocoa in a small sieve and dust the edges of the plates.

Note: To replicate the chef’s presentation: Edible gold leaf can often be purchased at art supply stores or on the internet in packages of small 3-inch-by-4-inch sheets. Using the tip of a knife, scrape a small amount off a sheet and transfer to the top of a sauced cake.