What local business comes to mind when you think of chocolate? Cricket & Fig? If not, then you need to know Cricket & Fig at 5800 S Lewis Ave Suite 131 was recently voted Best Chocolatier, Tulsa World “Best In The World, 2021”. Cricket & Fig will celebrate two years in business on Black Friday (11/26/21).
Known for handcrafted luxury chocolates, European coffee and espresso, and elegant plated desserts, store hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and closed Sunday and Monday.
Cricket & Fig is the place for very special holiday desserts. For Thanksgiving you can order a Texas Whiskey Pecan Tart and Pumpkin Tart with Brown Sugar Meringue. Christmas desserts will be Bûche de Noël (Yule Log Cake) and an assortment of Christmas Cookies. Orders may be placed in person or by phone, 918.271.5199, beginning November 1st and December 1st respectively.
Feeling adventurous enough to make a special holiday dessert at home? Cricket & Fig owner Randy Page has shared a recipe for Molten Chocolate Cake which serves 4. It uses ramekins, which is the tiniest version of the souffle dish.
Molten Chocolate Cake
Serves 4
Molten Chocolate Cake, or Chocolate Lava Cake as some call it, was the decadent brainchild of Chef Jean-George Vongerichten in New York City in 1987. There are many recipes out there, and most are the same, so it’s not really a secret. Ours is pretty much the original from Jean-George’s book.
4 ounces Unsalted Butter (one stick)
6 ounces Bittersweet Chocolate (we use Valrhona 70%)
2 each Eggs
2 each Egg Yolks
1/4 cup Sugar
Pinch of Salt
2 tablespoons Flour
Preheat the oven to 450°. Butter and lightly flour four 6 ounce ramekins. Tap out the excess flour. Set the ramekins on a baking sheet.
In a double boiler, over simmering water, melt the butter with the chocolate. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the egg yolks, sugar and salt at high speed until thickened and pale.
Whisk the chocolate until smooth. Quickly fold it into the egg mixture along with the flour. Spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins and bake for 12 minutes, or until the sides of the cakes are firm but the centers are soft. Let the cakes cool in the ramekins for 1 minute, then cover each with an inverted dessert plate. Carefully turn each one over, let stand for 10 seconds and then unmold. Serve immediately.
Pro Tip: We use cocoa powder rather than flour to “flour” the ramekins. That keeps the sides nice and chocolatey for a cleaner presentation. At Cricket & Fig we make the batter in individual ramekins and hold them cold for up to 5 days, then we bake them to order and serve with our homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, a house-made graham cracker, and a garnish of red berry puree.
Here is an article on ramekins and the best ones to use.