NEVADA - Sinful Molten Chocolate Cake

This week we’re heading west to the land of blackjack, showgirls, excess and debauchery. I’m talking about the great state of Nevada. But Nevada has more to offer than just the bright lights of Sin City. Nevada got its name from the Spanish word meaning "snowcapped," derived from the nearby Sierra Nevada Mountains and home of beautiful Late Tahoe. The U.S. obtained the region in 1848 following the Mexican-American War and was incorporated into the Utah territory. In 1859, silver was discovered at the Comstock Lode, which led to a population boom and was the driving force for the creation of the Nevada Terratory out of western Utah Territory in 1861. Nevada became the 36th state on October 31, 1864. Nevada is officially known as the "Silver State" due to the importance of silver to its history, but It’s also known as the "Battle Born State" because it achieved statehood during the Civil War and the "Sagebrush State" for the native desert plant. Nevada is also home to one of the most successful public works projects and one of the greatest engineering achievements of the modern era. The Hoover Dam was commissioned in 1931 by then president Herbert Hoover to counter the flooding problems caused by the Colorado River and provide power to Nevada, Arizona, and California. The Hoover Dam spans 1,244 feet across the Colorado River and is filled with 4.3 million cubic yards of concrete, enough to pave a standard highway 16 feet wide, from San Francisco to New York City. It took a total of 21,000 men five years to complete the structure and cost only $49 million. 114 deaths were associated with the constuction of the dam, but despite the myth, there are no bodies buried within the concrete of the Hoover Dam. Since it was created to last as long as the pyramids of Egypt, Sculptor Oskar J.W. Hansen designed a star chart at the Hoover Dam so that future generations, maybe thousands of years into the future, could trace back to exact date the dam was dedicated.

But our inspiration for today’s dish comes from Las Vegas. Every year, over 30 million people visit Las Vegas to partake in gambling, shopping, fine dining and entertainment. Nineteen of the world's 25 largest hotels by room count are on the strip, and the city itself contains over 150,000 hotel rooms, which is about twice as many as New York City. About 150 couples get married in Las Vegas each day and shrimp consumption in Las Vegas is more than 60,000 pounds a day - higher than the rest of the country combined! So in honor if Sin City, we’re going to be making a sinfully delicious molten chocolate cake. This dish is disgustingly delicious and looks very impressive, but is extremely easy to make. Plus, you probably already have most of the ingredients at home.

Molten Chocolate Cake:

¼ cup unsalted butter (plus more to butter mold)
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon flour (plus more for dusting mold)

The first thing we’ll do is set up a double boiler to melt our chocolate and butter. It’s important to use this technique whenever you are melting chocolate because if you just put the chocolate in a pan right on the stove or in the microwave, it will burn. Put a small amount of water in a sauce pan and bringing it up to a low simmer. Place a glass or metal bowl (plastic will melt) on top of the pan and add the butter and chocolate to the bowl. Heat until chocolate is almost completely melted. While that’s heating, whisk together the egg, yolk, and sugar in a separate bowl.

When the chocolate is completely melted, remove the bowl from the pan and whisk together the melted chocolate and butter. While still whisking, slowly incorporate the egg mixture and then the flour, just until combined.

Butter and lightly flour a 6-8 ounce mold or ramekin. Tap out the excess flour and butter and flower the mold again. Gently poor the batter into the mold. At this point you can either put the cake right into the oven or refrigerate to cook at a late time. Just make sure to bring the cake back up to room temperature before baking.

Place the mold on a tray and bake at 450 degrees for 8 to10 minutes. This can be a judgment call, the sides should be fluffy and set and the center still gooey.

Invert the mold onto a plate and let sit for about 10 seconds. Then slowly lift up the mold; the cake should easily come out into the plate. Serve immediately while the cake is still warm. I highly recommend serving the cake with a side of vanilla ice-cream and raspberries.