Choc tactics: Bill Granger's Valentine's recipes for chocoholics

Should it be white, milk or plain? Can you make a melt-in-the-mouth pudding without using any?

I never used to be that into chocolate but in recent years, with enticing contemporary chocolatiers cropping up all over the place, I've found it harder to ignore and have developed more of a taste for the stuff. The fact that my wife and three daughters are, I think it's fair to say, all addicted, has helped too.

It's easier to get our hands on a better class of chocolate these days but it still makes me smile when I hear people talking about the antioxidants in dark chocolate, as if it's on a par with a handful of blueberries; let's face it, we like chocolate because it tastes good and has a sinful element, not because it's good for us.

Dark chocolate often seems to get all the attention but I actually prefer quality milk chocolate, and the white variety has its indulgent uses too...

Bill Granger's London restaurant, Granger & Co, is at 175 Westbourne Grove, London W11, tel: 020 7229 9111, grangerandco.com

White-chocolate soufflé

Wonderfully light and not too sweet, this has plenty of wow factor served onits own but you can add a scoop of fruit ice-cream if you really want to.

Serves 4

20g/¾oz unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
Granulated sugar, for dusting
25g/1oz plain flour
1 tsp cornflour
70g/3oz good-quality white chocolate, grated
150ml/¼ pint milk
3 large eggs, separated

To serve

Icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas6. Brush the insides of four 200ml/7fl oz ramekins with melted butter (ensure the brushstrokes are vertical to help the k soufflé rise easily). Dust the inside with a little sugar, gently tapping out any excess. Chill the ramekins.

Mix the flour, cornflour and chocolate together, add the melted butter and gently mix. Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the flour mixture, whisking all the time, to remove any lumps. Gently cook over a medium heat, whisking until the mixture thickens – this happens quickly. Remove from heat and leave to cool. Fold in the egg yolks.

In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form a stiff peak. Using a metal spoon, carefully fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, taking care not to knock the air out of the mixture.

Fill the chilled ramekins with the mixture and place on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes or until risen and golden. Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.

Double chocolate panacotta

Creamy milk chocolate lends itself perfectly to this easy-peasy panacotta, and the dark-chocolate sauce makes it doubly decadent.

Serves 4

10g/ oz gelatine powder
275ml/9fl oz double cream
300ml/pint milk
50g/2oz caster sugar
125g/4oz good-quality milk chocolate, melted

In a small bowl, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cold water over the gelatine and leave until spongy. Then stand the bowl over a pan of simmering water until the gelatine is dissolved.

Pour 200ml/7fl oz of the cream and all the milk into a saucepan over a medium heat and add the sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Whisk in 100g/3 oz of the melted chocolate and then the dissolved gelatine.

Pour the mixture into four 150ml/¼ pint moulds and chill for 3 to 4 hours or until set. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the remaining melted chocolate and the remaining cream. Add 2 teaspoons of water just to loosen the mixture. Set aside until needed.

To serve, dip each mould into boiling water for a few seconds, making sure the water only comes halfway up the sides. Place a plate on the top and invert. Serve immediately with a dollop of the chocolate sauce on top of each.

Chocolate pudding

The ultimate nursery pud, this version uses only cocoa powder – which means you're more likely to have the ingredients to make it when all the chocolate bars in the stock cupboard have been eaten.

Serves 4

125g/4oz plain flour
A pinch of salt
120g/4oz caster sugar
3 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp cocoa powder
250ml/8fl oz milk
85g/3¼oz unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping

185g/6 oz soft brown sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

To serve

Double cream

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas4. Sift the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and cocoa powder into a bowl. Add the milk, butter, eggs and vanilla extract and mix with beaters until combined. Pour into a greased 1.25litre pudding bowl.

For the topping, stir the brown sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl, then sprinkle it over the pudding batter.

Pour 250ml/8fl oz boiling water carefully over the pudding and bake for 55 minutes. Serve with cream.