Cooking School

Round 2 of cooking school.... ready.... GO!

So, this weekend I am venturing to Northern VA yet again to teach a friend to cook. Exciting! This time, I think I shall focus on the timing aspects of cooking, as they really are the most difficult and make the biggest difference between mediocre cooking and good cooking. Learning to juggle skillets and saucepans, to watch the pasta, stir the onions and saute the chicken at once, takes practice and skill, but it really pays off when you're not chewing lukewarm pasta in a cold sauce because you had to wait for the chicken to finish cooking.

This time, though, Jackie and I are going to finish class by showing off. When we were enjoying our heyday as Divine Goddesses of the Culinary Pantheon (my, we're modest), we made these faaaaaaaaaaabulous chocolate espresso souffles. They are a pain and a half to make, but they are completely and utterly delicious and worthy of Culinary Goddesses.

Chocolate Espresso Soufflés

2 tablespoons unsalted butter for greasing
1/4 cup sugar, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
6 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons hazelnut flavored liqueurPinch salt
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Espresso cream topping

1 cup heavy cream
1 tbs. vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brewed espresso coffee
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and remove the top oven rack.

Prepare 6 (8-ounce) coffee cups or ramekins with straight sides (or a 2-quart soufflé dish) by greasing with butter and coating with granulated sugar, pour out any excess. The butter and sugar will keep the soufflés from sticking to the sides, which will allow them to rise evenly. The sugar will also give the soufflé a crunchy crust, which is a great contrast to the soft interior.

To make the pastry cream base for the soufflé:

Combine the milk and vanilla bean and seeds in a heavy large pot and place over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a brief simmer, until bubbles form around the edge of the pot; do not boil. Remove from heat and discard the vanilla bean. The vanilla bean can be rinsed and dried and kept for another use.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, flour, and 1/4 cup of sugar until slightly thickened and lemon-colored. Temper the yolks by gradually whisking in about half of the hot milk mixture (do not add too quickly or the eggs will cook.) Return the pastry cream back to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it is nice and thick, enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Slowly melt the chocolate with the Frangelico in a double boiler over hot water or in a microwave set on high for 2 minutes, stirring halfway through the heating time to smooth it out. Stir the melted chocolate mixture into the pastry cream; cool to room temperature.

In a separate clean bowl, beat the egg whites and salt just until they hold soft peaks. Using a rubber spatula, fold 1/3 of the beaten whites into the chocolate pastry cream to lighten it, then gently fold in the rest. Spoon the batter into the prepared coffee cups, 2/3 of the way full, and shake them gently to smooth out the top. Place the coffee cups on a cookie sheet and bake on the middle rack for about 20 minutes. The soufflé is done when it has puffed over the rim, the outside is golden and the center is still a bit loose and creamy; take care not to over bake.

For the cream topping, Pour the heavy cream and vanilla bean and seeds into a saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a brief simmer, until bubbles form around the edge of the pot; do not boil. Remove from heat. Discard the vanilla bean. The vanilla bean can be rinsed and dried and kept for another use.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, coffee, and espresso powder, until well blended. Temper the yolks by gradually whisking in the hot cream mixture (do not add too quickly or the eggs will cook.) Return the custard back to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8 to 10 minutes.

To serve, have each guest crack open the top of the soufflé with a spoon and pour in the Espresso Crème. Dust the top with confectioners' sugar.

It's so HOT

For some reason, I didn't do a lot of cooking last week. I mean, for one thing, the kitchen was a disaster and I can't cook in that kind of mess, especially with as little space as we have in our apartment. I suppose another reason would be that last week, at least in VA, it was hot, and really, even the most dedicated epicurians are hard pressed to slave over a flaming stove when it is 87 degrees and oppressively humid out.

Either way, now that a.) I have the cooking bug again and b.) it's not quite so miserably hot, here is a recipe that I really enjoy. It's great for all seasons and has a delicious middle-eastern kick to the flavor. Awesome.

Cumin-Coriander Crusted Pork Chops

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 boneless pork loin chops
Ground black pepper to taste

Mix the salt, cumin, coriander, garlic, and 1 tablespoon olive oil to form a paste.

Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, and rub with the paste.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the pork chops about 5 minutes on each side.

Enjoy!

Goodbye, my friend.

About a year ago, I met a girl. It was a karaoke night at a local bar and I had committed to go out to meet new people through this site called meetups.com. It was my first venture with their nightlife group, and I was a pretty far cry from being in mood to go. However, for whatever reason, I pulled myself off the couch and wandered down to go sing with a bunch of people I didn't know.

Wow, am I glad I did. Over the course of that night, I met two people who would become my two closest friends in Richmond, Juli and Sze. While it took a little longer for Sze and I to bond, Juli and I were instant friends. Between our shared tendency to spaz under stress, to say the most inappropriate things out of context (or sometimes even in context), and our incredibly high energy, we were, at first glance, twins separated at birth. I would to describe her to friends in other cities as, "Well, she's like me but a Yankee." We started hanging out several times a week, usually going out for a drink or dinner and just talking about our days and lives. As we got to know each other better, more differences revealed themselves, as always happens with developing friendships.

It was around this time that two things occured: first, we shared our mutual adoration for cooking, and second, we founded Tuesday Night Dinner. As I know I mentioned prior, it started out as our way to spend less money eating out, and since it was just the two of us, we would take turns cooking for each other. Juli is considerably more analytical than I am, and therefore more precise and a much better baker. We would toss around our lofty life goals - hers to own a cupcake bakery one day, mine to open up my own restaurant. As TND grew to include more people, we took up our designated roles. Juli is our dessert girl, making fabulous cakes, cupcakes, and other delectable confections.

Much to the sadness of all of us who know her, Juli is moving to Cincinnatti at the end of this week to pursue an amazing career opportunity. While I know she'll be back before we know it, the time without will be a little bit more gray. With her and through her, I have been able to build several lasting friendships with people who I never would have known, had so many stories, so many jokes, and created so many memories that my life, and those of all of us who have the privilege of knowing her, is much richer for it.

To my dear friend, take care, be good, and know that you're in our hearts. For the rest of us, today's recipe is Juli's famous, fattening, and fabulous Texas Sheet Cake.

Texas Sheet Cake

Boil in pan:
2 sticks butter or oleo (I use butter)
1 cup water
3 Tbsp Cocoa

Combine in bowl:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt1 tsp soda

Add the 2 mixtures together. Blend. Add 1 cup sour cream and 2 eggs.

Bake in greased cookie sheet at 375 for 20 minutes. Ice immediately.

Icing: Melt 1 stick butter or oleo and add 3 tbsp cocoa and 6 tbsp milk.

Bring to boil - remove from heat and add 1 lb powdered sugar, 1/2 cup nuts (optional) and 1 tsp vanilla

Juli tip 1: This recipe works best if you just stir the batter and frosting with either a spoon or whisk. You can use a mixer, but it's one of those recipes where if the batter isn't 100% smooth, it's alright.

Juli tip 2: Start the frosting about 7 minutes before the cake is done baking. That gives you enough time to bring it to a boil and it hasn't started to congeal by the time the cake is out of the oven. It works best if both the cake and the frosting are warm.

Enjoy!!

Solar food

Sorry guys, busy couple of weeks at work. And unfortunately, I don't really have time for a full blown update. However, it's the first sunny day in about a week, so, in honor of my friend, the sun, here's a brilliant and delicious little salad to make your day a little brighter.

Salad with Brown Sugar Vinaigrette
I cup baby spinach and red lettuce
½ cup mixed black and green olives
2 lemons, peeled and thinly sliced
1 long cucumber, thinly sliced

Vinaigrette
1/3 cup large raisins or zante currants
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper to taste

Place raisins, vinegar, olive oil, sugar and capers in a food processor or blender and blend until very smooth. Put in a jar or bottle with a lid and shake vigorously before serving. Set aside.

Arrange lettuce, lemons, cucumber and olives on a large plate. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve!

Enjoy!