The Sweetest Heaven

I may now be known for sweet puddings, but in the end, I truly am a chocolate guy. And yes, guys can have a weakness for chocolate too. But like a true chocolate connoisseur, it's never something that I eat a lot of. But when I do, I want it to be the most indulgent experience that I can possibly get onto a plate.
Chocolate is fun to learn about. I've read a few books on the history and process involved in chocolate over time, in numerous cultures, and its relation to the history of food. And like coffee and wine, it becomes even more amazing when you start exploring the richness of real chocolate... trust me, you'll never go back to processed junk again.
One of the great things about a real rich dark chocolate is that you just need a few milligrams of it and your sweet craving is satisfied. Much better than indulging in the bucket of ice cream or the bag of cookies.
But when I'm really craving decadence, this is my favourite go-to, and chances are, you might have all the ingredients on-hand.

BRAD'S BREATHTAKING CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE
(for 4) 8 ounces of 72% dark fair trade organic chocolate; 1 cup unsalted butter; 1/2 cup premium cocoa powder; 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup brown sugar; 2 whole eggs; 2 egg yolks; 1 tsp baking powder; pinch salt; whipping cream (optional); vanilla (optional) sugar (optional)
Bring a saucepan of water to a simmer and create a double-broiler by laying a large metal or tempered glass bowl over the pot. Put chopped chocolate and butter into the bowl and stir constantly to melt, until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375F.
With an electric hand or stand mixer, beat eggs and egg yolks on medium-high speed with brown sugar until thickened and pale (about 12-15 minutes). Pour in just a little of the chocolate mixture, whisking briskly but gently, gradually until combined. Then add the rest and combine fully. Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt and fold the batter together with a wooden spatula until just combined.
Butter 4 ramekins and dust with cocoa. Pour batter evenly among them. Bake for 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, if you like to cut the intensity a little with some whipped cream, pour 1 cup heavy cream into a bowl, and beat on high speed, gradually adding about 1/4 cup of sugar and a splash of vanilla until soft peaks form.
While milk is often the standard beverage with many desserts, for this, I highly recommend a really good quality rich dark red wine. Specifically a Chilean Merlot would be a match made in heaven.

Oh, the things you can do with bacon fat

I always refer to animal fat as liquid gold. And I avoid throwing it away. The sad part is there is a misconception that animal fat is worse than other fats health-wise. In fact, the opposite is true. Gram for gram, all fats are the same in calories. There are some differences in trans and saturated fats. But the food science consensus is starting to move away from processed fats and oils (especially hydrogenated vegetable oils) and more toward butter and other animal fat, because essentially, they're more naturally recognised and metabolised by the body and are loaded with vitamins and amino acids.
So for those reasons, the fat I pour off the pan when cooking wild boar bacon goes directly into a mason jar for the fridge; not the compost.

BRAD'S FRIED SKILLET CHICKEN AND POTATOES
(for 2) 6 free-range chicken legs; 4 tbsp bacon fat; 1 chorizo sausage diced; 3-4 medium white potatoes cubed; 4 cloves of garlic, peeled; 1/4 cup sour cream; 1/4 cup milk; micro greens or clovers; fresh parsley; Kosher salt; fresh pepper
In a steam pot, cook potatoes and garlic until soft
Brown the chicken on medium-high heat in 2 tbsp of bacon fat, then add sausage, transfer to a pre-heated oven at 425F for about 10-12 minutes or until juices run clear.
Remove the chicken and plate under foil to rest 5 minutes, keeping the empty pan hot.
Toss another 2 tbsp of bacon fat to the pan and toss the potatoes and garlic and quickly mash with a potato masher. Add sour cream and milk and season, stirring quickly with a wooden spoon. Plate up and top with micro-greens and parsley.

What's Better Than Fresh Summer Tomatoes?

Why, fresh summer tomatoes preserved and opened months later of course!
This was my first summer attempting to preserve vegetables. I quickly realised I was limited owning a ceramic top stove, so can only preserve acidic produce... and thankfully that includes tomatoes, or I wouldn't have tasted the best pasta sauce of my life! If you have access to locally grown vegetables, I highly recommend preserving, as not only does it reduce your costs and ecological strain, but they taste amazing!

BRAD'S SAUSAGE-TOMATO PASTA
(for 4) 400g premium quality spicy sausage sliced (I recommend Balkan or Chorizo); two jars of preserved tomatoes; two medium white onions diced; 5-7 cloves of fresh autumn local garlic sliced; 2/3 cup red wine (your favourite); fresh roughly chopped parsley; fresh torn basil; Kosher salt; fresh pepper; extra-virgin olive oil; package of dried spaghetti or spaghettini; Parmesan

In a heavy skillet, heat oil to a light smoke on medium, sauté onions until translucent. Add sausage (adding a little more oil if necessary) and cook browning on all sides.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta (reduce to medium, stir occasionally).
Add garlic to the sausage mix, keep browning. Deglaze with red wine, raise heat to high, bring to a light boil, then reduce to a simmer until reduced (about 3 minutes), then add tomatoes. Stir well on medium- high heat, then add herbs.
Drain pasta and add it to the tomato mix. Plate up and garnish with Parmesan.