What a delicious way to end a meal: a little bowl of good vanilla ice cream, fresh figs, a nice dolloping of warm chocolate sauce, and a sprinkle of sweet dukkah for crunch and spice.
SERVES 4-6
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Food processor or mortar and pestle.
The dukkah is one of my favourite things, a condiment I’m rarely without, and I love to sprinkle it over porridge, freshly sliced fruit or, in this case, sweet little puddings. You could replace the figs with any fruit that takes well to chocolate: cherries would be delicious and/or poached pears just for starters. The chocolate sauce is so good it’s worth making double. I love to give jars of it to friends as little thank-you presents. It’s so delicious.
Ingredients
For the hot chocolate sauce
For the sweet dukkah
To assemble
Method
- FOR THE HOT CHOCOLATE SAUCE: Combine the cream, butter, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then add the chocolate and whisk until it has melted into a smooth sauce.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa and vanilla.
Return the pan to low heat and simmer for about 1 minute, until glossy. Serve warm, or refrigerate and reheat when needed. - FOR THE SWEET DUKKAH: Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced (200°C conventional). Spread the hazelnuts or walnuts and the pistachios on a baking tray and toast for 5 minutes. Add the sesame, coriander, and poppy seeds, and toast for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- Tip this mixture into a food processor or mortar and bash with a pestle or blitz until it has a coarse consistency.
Transfer to a bowl and stir through the cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and salt. Check the flavour: does it need a little more sugar? Adjust to taste, leave to cool, then store in an airtight jar or container. - To assemble, scoop a little ice cream (or a lot) into bowls, divide the fig pieces between them, pour over the chocolate sauce and finish with the dukkah. Or set up a self-service station so people can make their own.
NOTE: This recipe makes about 1 ½ cups (375mL) of hot chocolate sauce and 1 cup (about 100g) of sweet dukkah.
RECIPE: Sophie Hansen
This recipe was originally published in the article Fig & Fancy in Issue 50 – Marking a Milestone.
