Warm Flourless Chocolate Cake with Orange Sauce

Serves 8

FOR THE SAUCE:
1 c fresh orange juice (from 3 oranges)
2 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp half-and half
1 Tbsp Grand Marnier

FOR THE CAKES
8 oz good-quality dark chocolate with 60-70% cacao, chopped
1 large egg
2 very ripe bananas, sliced (1 1/4 cups)
1/2 c mashed yam (from 1 baked, peeled yam) or canned pumpkin
1/4 c honey
1 Tbsp grated orange zest
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 large egg whites
Pinch of kosher salt
1 orange, peeled and separated into segments for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray eight 4 oz ramekins with cooking spray and well coated and place them on a baking sheet. (Dust with cocoa powder?)
Prepare the sauce. In a small saucepan, pour all but 1 Tbsp of the orange juice and place over low heat. In a small bowl, stir the cornstarch into the reserved 1 Tbsp orange juice until smooth. When the juice comes to a simmer, whisk in the cornstarch and juice slurry and continue to whisk for 30 s until thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes. Whisk in the half-and-half and the Grand Marnier. Set aside to keep warm or chill; the sauce can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Make the cakes. Make a double bowler and melt the chocolate. Combine the egg, bananas, yam, honey, orange zest, and vanilla in a blender and process until very smooth. Add the banana mixture to the chocolate and stir togehter until just combined. Set aside.
In mixing bowl, whip egg white and salt until soft peaks form. Carefully fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until just incorporated. Do NOT overmix; it is fine if streaks of white remain.
Spoon the mixture into the ramekins to about 1/4 inch from the top. Bake until the tops are set when a ramekin is gently nudged and the centers are slightly puffed, 8019 minutes. Transfer the ramekins to a cooling rack. When the ramekins are cool enough to handle, run a pairing knife around the edges and turn over onto eight dessert plates. The center of the cake should be nice and soft.
Drizzle the sauce around each cake and garnish with orange segments. Serve.

NOTES:

• Grate the orange zest for the cakes before juicing the oranges for the sauce