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Molten Chocolate Cake

For coffee creme anglaise

1 1/4 cups whole milk
4 tsp instant espresso powder
3 large egg yolks
2 TSP sugar

For cakes

6 1/2 TSP sugar (plus additional for dusting)
7 TSP unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped (Valrhona 71% bittersweet works best)
3 large eggs
1/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)
1/8 tsp salt

Make creme anglaise

• Whisk together milk and espresso powder and bring to a boil in a small, heavy saucepan. Whisk together yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Slowly add hot milk to yolks, whisking constantly. Transfer custard to cleaned saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it registers 170 degrees Farenheit on an instant read thermometer and is think enough to coat back of spoon.
• Pour custard through a very fine sieve into a metal bowl. Put bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice and cold water and cool custard, stirring occasionally. Chill, covered, until ready to use.

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Butter baba au rhum molds and dust with sugar, knocking out excess.
• Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally. Remove bowl from pan and cool slightly.
• Whisk together eggs and 6 1/2 tablespoons sugar in a bowl, then whisk in flour, melted chocolate, and salt. Pour into molds, filling them about two-thirds full, and put molds in a 9-inch metal baking pan. Bake in middle of oven until outer 1/2 inch of cakes are cet but centers are still moist, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Holding 1 mold with a potholder, run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a plate. Unmold remaining cakes in same manner. Serve with coffee creme anglaise. Makes 6.

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Iron Chef Kobe loves to make pasta, no matter what the theme ingredient may be. He's not called the "Prince of Pasta" for nothing! Here is a basic recipe for egg pasta.

Basic Pasta

Ingredients

1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 TSP water

Instructions

• In a medium sized bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the flour, add the slightly beaten egg, and mix. Mixture should form a stiff dough. If needed, stir in 1 to 2 TSP water.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for 3 to 4 minutes. With a pasta machine or by had, roll out dough to desired thinness. Use machine or knife (or Kobe's favorite tool, a chitarra) to cut into strips of desired width. Makes 3 servings.