DECADENT BUT EASY INDIVIDUAL CHOCOLATE SOUFFLES

I love ramekins for so many things:  prep bowls, snack bins, small baked egg and cheese breakfasts, mini pot pies.  But really, why have ramekins if you don't make dessert in them?

Here's an almost no-fail way to make chocolate soufflé, where it's cake on the outside and ooey-gooey chocolate goodness on the inside.  And.... wait for it... it's made from scratch, can be made ahead prior to baking, and is pretty easy.

This is your new go-to dessert to wow your in-laws and boss.

Why almost no-fail?  Well, let's have a look at the ingredients:  chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs and flour.  Pretty much any measurement and ratio of those 5 ingredients will come out delicious.  The only way you can screw up this recipe is if you burn the soufflés.

Many recipes for chocolate soufflés are so fussy; separate the eggs, mix in cream of tartar (what is that anyway?), don't move or the soufflé will fall.  I wanted something simple and sturdy that anyone could whip up in a jiffy, so I just started testing combinations of the 5 ingredients above.  We are a family of 6, so this recipe is for 6 individual soufflés.  I figured 6 eggs for 6 soufflés, a cup of chocolate (real chocolate, in chip or bar form), 11 tablespoons of butter (it's an uneven prime number, I know, but that's what I had on hand and it came out great), 3/4 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of flour. 

You can make the batter ahead and loosely cover with plastic wrap in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake them.  Just plan on baking them for a couple of minutes more if they have been refrigerated.

DECADENT BUT EASY INDIVIDUAL CHOCOLATE SOUFFLES:

Serves 6, about 35 minutes, with baking.

6 small ramekins, inside lightly buttered.
1 cup of real dark chocolate.
11 Tablespoons of butter, cut into approximately 1 tablespoon squares.
6 eggs.
3/4 cup sugar.
1/2 cup flour.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Melt the chocolate and butter over simmering water in a double-broiler or a Pyrex in a pot of water.

I don't have a double-broiler, so I just put a Pyrex in a pot of water

Occasionally stir the chocolate and butter.  I used a wooden chopstick, but you can use fork, spoon, whisk.  Be careful of the boiling water!

While waiting for the chocolate and butter to melt, mix well the eggs and sugar in a stand-up mixer or by hand with a whisk. 

Fold in the flour.

When the chocolate and butter mixture is melted, using oven mitts, slowly pour the chocolate mixture in a small but steady stream while at the same time mixing the egg mixture.

Be careful not to just pour the whole chocolate mixture into egg mixture at once or you will cook the eggs.

Evenly pour the batter into the 6 ramekins.  Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet.

 Bake for 18 - 22 minutes, or until the tops are cracked.  Start checking the souffles around 14 minutes to make sure they don't burn.  If you like it more gooey, take the souffles right out of the oven when the tops are just cracked.  If you like it more cakey, bake for 1 or 2 minutes more.

Serve immediately.  Since the ramekins are hot, you might want to put each ramekin on a small dish so as not to burn your table or guests.  You can serve the soufflés as-is, or sprinkle some powdered sugar and top with a raspberry.  Also goes well with vanilla ice cream (but what doesn't?).

Bon appetit!

Savory Tomato, Gruyere and caramelized onion tart

Most of the time, it's just the blend of a few simple ingredients that make a dish delicious.  For this tart, the melding of cheese, onions and tomatoes is so simple and so tasty.  And easy and fast to make.  Try this for dinner tonight!

Whole wheat pie crust in pie dish.
Heirloom, grape, Roma or any other ripe fresh tomato, sliced, enough to layer the top of the tart (about 1 1/2 heirloom tomatoes)
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
One large or 2 small onions, sliced into thin rings
6 - 8 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese
salt and pepper to taste


Prepare pie crust from my recipe.  If you are short on time, you can buy an already prepared whole wheat pie crust from the supermarket.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Core and slice the tomatoes into 1/4 inches slices (or if using grape or cherry tomatoes, just cut in half).  Lay the slices on paper towels to remove excess moisture from the tomatoes.










While tomatoes are on the paper towels, sautee the onion in a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil with some salt and pepper until just caramelized.  Let the onions cools slightly and then place on the bottom of the pie crust. 

Layer the shredded cheese on top of the onions.






One slice at a time, layer the tomato slices, generously overlapping each slice, starting from the outside until you reach the center (if using grape or cherry tomatoes, just line the cut tomatoes as close to each other as possible).  Sprinkle with generous amount of salt and pepper.

Tart with Roma tomatoes

 Bake for an hour.  Tart can be served hot or at room temperature.

This dish would go great with a salad and Dijon vinaigrette.

Tart with Heirloom tomatoes

BASICS: "Easy as pie" whole wheat pie crust

I love savory tarts and galettes, and my kids love pie, so I make pie crusts on a regular basis.  I have the most perfect, easy, and yummy 100% whole wheat pie crust recipe that you must try.  With whole wheat flour and no preservatives, it's cheaper and healthier than anything you can buy in a grocery store.  My recipe is adopted from the Whole Foods recipe blog.  I've given some tips and hints to help you not make the mistakes I made when I first started baking this crust. 


1 1/4 Cups whole wheat pastry flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
7 tablespoons very cold organic butter (cut into approximately 1 tablespoon squares)
some ice water with a teaspoon

Put the butter squares in a small bowl or plate and place in the freezer (for at least 3 - 5 minutes) while you measure out the flour.

Put the flour in the bowl of your food-processor and add the very cold butter squares.  Pulse a few times.  (Alternatively, you can cut in the cold butter squares using quick strokes with a pastry blender.  Follow the rest of the recipe with the pastry blender).

Add a teaspoon of ice water at a time, pulse until a ball forms, or it appears that the dough can be held together by patting it together.   Do not use too much water.

Put the dough ball in the refrigerator for another 3 - 5 minutes.

Roll out the dough to about a 10 inch round.  Transfer to pie dish.  Gently press together any tears and crimp the edge of the pie crust with your fingers.

Using a fork, poke holes in the dough.  Partially bake for 7 minutes at 375 degrees.

Once cool, you can fill the crust with whatever ingredients you want and bake per directions of that dish.




TIPS:
* Keep everything cold.  If it appears that the butter is melting, stop what you're doing and put the dough in the refrigerator until cold.

* Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface or between wax paper.  Don't overwork the dough or it will get tough.

*If you have a difficult time transferring the rolled out dough, you can use a pizza peel.  Gently use the pizza peel to get under the dough, put the pie dish upside down in the middle of the dough and turn the whole thing over.  Remove the peel and the dough should be in the center of the pie dish.  You can also fold the dough into fourths for transfer and gently unfold in the pie dish. Or follow my best friend's example and loosely roll half the dough of the rolling pin to lift and place in the pie dish.

* Don't worry about tears in the dough.  Just press the tears together.  It's better to have tears in the dough than an overworked dough with no tears.

* You can also weigh down the crust with dry beans or pie crust weights during baking to prevent large bubbles from forming.  Just remember to layer the dough first with aluminum foil.  The dry beans can not be able to be eaten after baking.

*If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour, you can substitute whole wheat flour but the crust will not be as flaky and light.  

*  To make 2 crusts, it's easiest to just make one pie crust at a time instead of doubling the ingredients.



 

Basics: HOW TO ROAST BEETS

       
Beets are a great source of vitamins, manganese and riboflavin.  And they're cheap and easy to make.  Because they are naturally sweet, many kids love to eat them.  So why don't we eat more beets?  I know many people who just think they can't roast beets and opt for the already peeled and roasted beets from the store which may contain preservatives.   I, too, was one of those people, but roasting beets is as easy as 1, 2, 3!

1.  Wrap in tin foil the washed beet roots, just like you would to make a baked potato.




2.  Bake wrapped beets in the oven (I use my toaster oven to save energy) for about 1 hour and 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

3.  Once they're cooled, the skin of the beets easily peel off.   Peel, slice and serve!

 

 

For a delicious nutrient-rich dish, serve the beets with spinach, goat cheese, walnuts and my Dijon vinaigrette.

HOMEMADE GRUYERE AND ROSEMARY BREAD

I have a few simple recipes that I use again and again for different things.  For example, I have a pancake recipe that I also use for waffles and aebleskivers (Danish pancakes).  I have a basic soup stock recipe that I use for different kinds of soups.  I have a pizza dough recipe that I also use for calzones and cheesy bread.  Having one basic recipe gives you the ability to be a little more creative, a little more able to take risks.  Here's my recipe for Gruyere and rosemary bread, using my easy pizza dough recipe.  We ate this with my Tuscan cannellini and kale soup, and the entire meal was delicious.

I only use half of the dough made, and you can easily cover and save the other half of your dough in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  Go ahead and think of your own combination and give it a whirl.  You really can't go wrong with cheese and bread!


 HOMEMADE GRUYERE AND ROSEMARY BREAD:

Bread recipe or my pizza dough recipe, using only half the dough (or use all the dough by doubling the recipe below for 2 loaves of bread).
4 oz. shredded smoked Gruyere cheese
1 tablespoon of dried or fresh Rosemary, stems removed and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

 Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a square or rectangular shape until it's about a 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick.  Don't worry too much about the shape or thickness.

Scatter shredded cheese and rosemary over the dough.  Add salt and pepper if you wish.

From one end, start rolling the dough up until you have a bread "log."  Tuck and pinch the dough ends together so the cheese won't ooze out during baking.  If the bread loaf looks too thin and long, push the ends toward each other to create a thicker loaf.

Score (slice the top) the loaf of bread about three times to let the steam out.  Place on a baking sheet or baking stone at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.

After cooling off for a few minutes, slice and serve.  Enjoy with soup or a salad.

MY SECRET RECIPE FOR FLUFFY PANCAKES

My kids love pancakes and waffles, and their classier Danish cousin, aebleskivers.  I have one recipe I use for pancakes, waffles and aebleskivers, and this recipe has a secret ingredient (oh, how I love my secret ingredients!) that make them fluffy. 

Besides the secret ingredient, I use organic eggs, butter, milk, and partial mix of whole wheat and white flour.  I also add a quarter cup of ground flaxseed, which I use in almost all my baking, for added Omega-3s.   You can find ground flaxseed at Whole Foods, and even at Costco.  If you don't have flaxseed, substitute flour instead (for a total of 2 cups flour).  Make these fluffy pancakes tomorrow for breakfast and see how good they are!


RECIPE FOR FLUFFY PANCAKES:

In a measuring cup which can hold more than 2 cups, fill 1-1/2 cups milk.  Add 1/4 cup white vinegar (this is the secret ingredient!).  Set aside for at least 5 minutes to allow the vinegar to "sour" the milk.

Combine 1 - 3/4 cups flour (I use about a 1:3 ratio of whole wheat to white), 1/4 cup ground flaxseed, a tablespoon sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 2 tablespoons salt.

Whisk 2 eggs into the milk and vinegar mixture.  Then slowly whisk in 1/4 cup melted butter into the milk mixture (slowly drizzle in the melted butter while whisking the milk mixture so as not to cook the eggs).

In a large bowl, add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until the lumps are gone.

Heat a lightly-oiled large skillet over medium-low heat, and add batter with a serving spoon, about a 1/4 cup, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake.  You will see the pancakes rise right before your eyes.  Flip and cook until brown.  Serve immediately.

 Ingredients:
1-1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup white vinegar
1-3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter


AEBLESKIVERS:

Aebleskivers use the same recipe.  In an aebleskiver pan over medium-low heat, add a tablespoon (not more!) of batter on the bottom of each tray, add your filler (here, I've added dark chocolate chips, but I've also used cheese or jam or sauteed mushrooms, etc.). 

Fill the top with a tablespoon of batter, trying to cover your filling, but not to worry if you don't cover all of it.  Flip with chopsticks after bubbles appear on the tops of the aebleskivers.  Cook until brown and serve.

Make your own Mayonnaise!

This is an excellent article about making your own mayo. I like the idea of homemade mayo mixed with Sriracha.  When I was in France, my host made her own mayo with a little bit of fresh garlic.  You could eat it with a spoon.  After you read this article, you can create your own delicious mayo-mix!

New York Times article about homemade mayonnaise.

END-OF-THE-WEEK PIZZA

An easy and individualized way to use your leftover vegetables (and fruit if you're using tomatoes and pineapple!) is to make homemade pizza.  This is also a great way to get the kids involved in making dinner too.   I try to time end-of-the-week pizza for weeks that I have leftover homemade tomato sauce or pesto.  I've even used leftover peanut sauce for pizza.  To cut time, you can use pre-made crusts, but why would you when you can make easy homemade pizza dough?  While the dough is rising, you can prepare the veggies you want on your pizza.


You can pretty much match any vegetable with any other vegetable, but I've found that taking different ethnic cuisines as guidelines, I can make some really delicious pizzas.  For instance, try making a southwest Tex-Mex pizza with corn, whole black beans, jalapenos, onions, bell peppers and tomatoes.  My favorite is the Thai pizza with Thai-flavor combinations of lime, cilantro, bean sprouts, onions and peanut sauce (which can also be made vegan because it doesn't need cheese to please).   One of my old stand-by pizzas is spinach, wild mushrooms and jalapeno.  What about a Chinese-inspired pizza?  Baby corn, red bell peppers, shiitake mushrooms, green onions and bean sprouts.  Try a mix of your own, and let your family members make their own combination.


Ingredients to try:
fresh spinach
fresh basil (add after baking)
any herb
onion sliced thin
green onions (add after baking)
fresh tomato
sun-dried tomatoes
artichoke hearts
whole black beans
bean sprouts
green beans
jalapeno
olives
corn
pineapple
bell peppers


Sauces to try:
Homemade marinara sauce
Peanut sauce
Pesto (and this can also be vegan if using my recipe for pesto)
Salsa


Cheeses to try:
Goat cheese
Burrata cheese, cut into bite-sized pieces
Bits of brie cheese
Mexican or chihuahua cheese
No cheese






When dough is ready, add pizza toppings, bake at 425 degrees for 11 - 15 minutes, depending on your oven.  You can bake the pizza on a cookie sheet or sheet with a slight lip - it doesn't matter (see photo above).  Place pizzas on a rack to cool (I just use my oven rack on the counter) so as not to get the bottom crust mushy.  What a great way to eat vegetables!

THE MESS DIFFERENCE OF TWO KIDS

If you know me, you know I believe that kids should help in the kitchen as much as possible.  There are the benefits of experience, a sense of accomplishment, and a connection with the food they eat.  However, as any parent knows, there is that little problem of the mess they create while they learn.  It took me a long time and some deep breaths to overcome my mess-phobia, but I have, and I've reaped the benefits of cooking with my kids. 


I wanted to show you the difference between two of my kids:  one is neat and tidy; the other one, not so much.  See the pictures below and see if you can tell which one's which.




CANDIDATE 1:

CANDIDATE 2:

The pants, originally in dark blue.

SESAME PANKO TOFU

 This dish is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.  One of my children's favorite meals which they ask for again and again.  Even tofu-haters (haters, stop hating!) like this dish.  If you have a deep fryer, you can use that, but I use my cast iron skillet for almost everything, including frying.

Serve with vegetable fried rice.

Ingredients:

soy sauce

flour

3 eggs

panko bread crumbs

2 tablespoons white, black or mixture of sesame seeds (black sesame seeds look more dramatic).

2 tubs of extra firm organic tofu

2 - 4 cups canola oil or other oil for frying.

   In four salad or soup bowls, pour until about half-filled in each bowl and in order:  1) half soy sauce and half water; 2) whole wheat and/or all purpose flour mixture; 3) 3 eggs whisked; 4) panko crumbs mixed with a couple of heaping tablespoons of black and/or white sesame seeds (you can use all white, all black or a mixture).            

Before breading tofu, heat the oil in a cast-iron pan or a fryer.  I turn on my oven fan and heat my canola oil in my cast-iron pan on high until I see wisps of smoke.  While waiting for the oil to heat, quickly bread the tofu, instructions below.

 Slice tofu like a loaf of bread into 1 - 1 1/2 inch slices of tofu.  Soak a few tofu slices in the soy sauce mixture for about a minute.  Then in order, coat in flour, coat in egg, coat in panko.  Place on a cookie sheet, and repeat until all the tofu slices are coated.

With long chopsticks or metal tongs, carefully slip each tofu slice into the hot oil and fry until golden, about 30 seconds, and turn over for about 10 seconds more.  You may have to do 2 or more batches of frying to fit all the slices.

My 13 year old frying the tofu

When the tofu is cooked to golden brown, take them out and place them on some paper towels to soak up the excess oil.  Serve immediately topped with green onions with a side of soy sauce and sriracha.