Thomas Keller is a fab chef not from France but with a restaurant called The French Laundry in California.
Keller served as a consultant for the 2007 animated film Ratatouille, allowing the producer to intern in the French Laundry kitchen and designing a fancy layered version of ratatouille, "confit byaldi", for the characters to cook. In the American version he plays a cameo appearance as a restaurant patron (the part is played by Keller's former mentor Guy Savoy in the French version, and Ferran Adrià in the Spanish one). source: wikipedia
Following is a Keller bouchon recipe from his cookbook Bouchon:
Chocolate Bouchons
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
24 tablespoons (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and slightly warm
6 oz semisweet chocolate, such as *Valrhona 55%, chopped
confectioners' sugar for dusting
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. sift flour, cocoa powder and salt into a bowl.
3. in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the eggs and sugar on medium speed for 3-5 minutes or until thick and pale. mix in the vanilla.
4. on low speed, add 1/3 dry ingredients, then 1/3 butter and continue alternating with the remaining flour and butter. add the chocolate and mix to combine.
5. put the cupcake molds on a baking sheet. fill each one about 2/3 full. bake 25 minutes or until the tops look set like a brownie and a toothpick comes out clean.
6. transfer to a cooling rack. after a few minutes, invert and let the bouchons cool upside down in the molds, then lift the mold off.
7. dust with confectioners' sugar and you're ready to serve. these are good with vanilla or chocolate ice-cream :-)
*Valrhona choc is always available at Wholefoods
