Chocolate Orange Steamed Puddings

1. Prepare the steamer.  Either use a vegetable steamer or a large pan with lid.  Follow the manufacturer instructions for setting up your steamer.  If using a pan(s), pour a few centimetres of water into the pan and position an upturned plate in the bottom of the pan.  The dariole moulds will sit on the plate when steamed.  Place the pan on a low heat to slowly heat the water. 2. Chill the chocolate.  Put the finely chopped chocolate onto a plate and place into the fridge to chill. 3. Reduce the orange juice.  Place the orange juice into a small pan and set over a low to medium heat. Allow the juice to reduce by half to concentrate its flavour. Turn off the heat and allow to cool completely.4. Meanwhile prepare the dariole moulds. Grease the inside of the moulds with a little butter. Add a heaped teaspoon of flour to one of the moulds. Swirl the mould around until the flour has completely coated the inside of the mould. Tip the excess flour into the next mould, giving the dariole mould a little knock to ensure there is only a thin layer of flour.  Repeat until all of the moulds are buttered and floured.5. Prepare the tinfoil and string. Cut pieces of tinfoil about 18 – 20cm square. Use a little butter to grease the dull underside of the foil. Set aside. Cut 6 lengths of string that are long enough to go around the top of the dariole mould twice with enough surplus to allow a knot to be tied. 6. Make the pudding batter. Break the eggs into a cup, add the extra egg yolk.  Use a fork to break them up. (see note c below).  Place the soft butter and sugars into a good sized bowl and beat together with a wooden spoon or electric beaters until very pale and fluffy. Add the orange zest and pinch of salt and beat again to combine. Gradually add the beaten eggs and egg yolk a little at a time, beating well after each addition, (see note d below). Add 2 tbsp of reduced orange juice and beat again. Sieve the flour into the mixture. Use a spatula or large metal spoon to fold this into the batter. Ensure you have a nice dropping consistency adding a little more orange juice (or milk if you’ve run out of concentrated orange juice) if necessary. Add the chopped chocolate and mix until just combined. 7. Fill the dariole moulds. Using a spoon, fill the cases with the batter mixture. You’re aiming for them to be no more than two-thirds full. 8. Cover with the prepared tinfoil. Fold a square of tinfoil to create a pleat down the centre of the foil (this will open out and give the pudding more room as it rises during the bake). Place the tinfoil, butter side down, over the dariole mould. Scrunch the foil around the side of the mould. Tie a length of string around the mould just beneath its lip to secure the foil. If steaming the puddings in a pan you may need to fashion a string handle to assist with their removal once cooked through.  Repeat with the other moulds. 9. Steam. Position the dariole moulds in the steamer so that they are sat securely. Place the steamer’s lid on top and steam for 40 minutes (see note e below).10. Make the chocolate sauce, about 10 minutes before the puddings are ready. Pour the cream into a small pan and set over a medium heat. Allow the cream to heat through but avoid letting it boil. Meanwhile chop the chocolate into small pieces. Place into a bowl. Pour the heated cream over the chocolate. Use a teaspoon to stir the sauce. Gradually the chocolate will melt and the sauce will become smooth. Once the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth pour it into a serving jug. 11. Serve. Carefully remove the puddings from the steamer. Use a pair of scissors to cut away the string. Peel away the foil. Run the blade of a pallet knife around the edge of the pudding to loosen it. Upturn the pudding into a serving bowl. Repeat with the remaining puddings. 12. Enjoy with the chocolate sauce!
Notes: a)  We used our vegetable steamer (Tefal) for this bake as it offered more room for the 6 dariole moulds than a pan.  If using a pan to steam, you may need to use two depending upon their size.  Part fill the pan with water and position an upturned plate in the base of the pan for the dariole moulds to sit on.  Whether you use a pan or steamer avoid letting them boil dry.  b) Use a total of 100g milk and / or dark chocolate as you prefer.  c)  The spare egg white can either be chilled in the fridge for a few days to use in another bake or frozen in an airtight container.  Allow the frozen egg yolk to defrost in the fridge completely before being used. d)  Consider warming your lightly beaten eggs over a bain marie especially if they feel particularly cold. Warm them until they feel lukewarm. This should help prevent the batter from curdling and produce a better cupcake sponge.  e) If using a vegetable steamer, avoid using the built in electronic timer as it may not be reliable.  Use your stopwatch instead.