5th Annual Pairing NYE Part 2

On to course three.  I decide to try a different prep for seafood since I was pairing shrimp and crab into one cake.  I found this one on the LA Times'  web site.  Excellent, and can be prepped in advance. 

Crab and Shrimp Cakes (serves 4 as an entree or up to 10 as an appetizer.) Adapted from The Oceanaire Seafood Room's recipe.
About 40 minutes




2 eggs
1 cup mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/4 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning, divided
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
2 Tbsp grated onion
1/4 pound (scant 2 cups) crustless cubed white bread (about 1/4 loaf), cut into small cubes
1/2 pound jumbo lump crab meat, drained of any liquid
1/2 pound peeled and deveined shrimp, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, three-fourths teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning, tarragon, and onion to make a dressing.
3. In a large mixing bowl, toss the bread with half of the dressing, mixing until the dressing is absorbed by the bread and the cubes are slightly broken up. Add additional dressing if the cubes are too dry.
4. Gently mix in the crab and shrimp, being careful not to break up the lump pieces. The mixture should hold its shape when formed into a ball with your hand. If it is too dry, add additional dressing until the mixture comes together. You might not use all of the dressing.
5. Divide the mixture and form into 8 large or 20 small crab cakes. Place the cakes on a greased cookie sheet or sheet pan.
6. In a small bowl, stir the butter together with the remaining one-half teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning. Top each cake with a small dollop of the seasoned butter.
7. Bake the cakes until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Serve warm.

Mustard Mayonnaise Sauce: (From Morton's)

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp  Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp horseradish

Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Next course is a riff on last year's salt block prep.

5th Annual Beer Pairing NYE

Once again we did a beer pairing dinner for New Year's Eve.  I can't believe it's been 5 years already since the first one, created in a fit of frustration with what the local restaurants were doing.  This year we invited a few more friends to join in the fun, and TheTooth did a great job making sure I had some great brews to pair with food.

First, I decided to have some fun with the menu.  While I adore the menus TheTooth got for me a few Christmases ago, I thought it was time to do something a bit different.  What could be better than a coaster for your beer glass, right?

 Mod Podge is great stuff.  ToddlerTooth made her own coaster sans-menu with quite a bit of the leftover gold paint.

Before the meal we started with a French Sandwich, based on a dish at The Hobbit in Orange.  Puff pastry, Dijon mustard, shredded pepper jack cheese, and salami are all you need.  Layer the last three between two sheets of puff pastry and bake it off.  I let the pastry thaw a bit too much so my top layer was a bit dense, but it worked pretty well anyway.  There wasn't a real pairing with it, just whatever people wanted to pour.

The first course was based heavily on a Giada de Laurentis recipe.  My tweak is to use Quark, a German cheese instead of the sour cream the recipe calls for.  A bit thicker, and we just like the flavor better.  The crisps are beyond simple to make.  Heat your oven to 300.  Place foil on a cookie sheet, and lay out slices of your favorite salami.  Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, just until the edges turn a bit brown.  Cool and drain on paper towels.  Top  with a dollop of the Quark and some torn basil.

 Course two was fried ricotta balls with herbs over tomato sauce.  I used 1.5 tubs of ricotta, drained overnight.  Mix in one egg and some fresh chopped herbs.  The batter was a simple flour and soda water mix, and I used peanut oil for frying.  Whatever simple marinara style sauce you have on hand works well.

More to come...

Summer Projects

When we moved to this house, we decided the den needed a bar.  Three years and one toddler later the design was finalized and the bar was built and finished this summer.

The Tooth based the design on the elements that worked from the hacked together version we had once the kegerator arrived.  I think he did a great job.  We had a ton of help from my parents (thanks again by the way!)  He and my Dad built, I did the finish work with a bit of help.  It took three weeks thanks to the humidity from hell, but it got done.  Overall, I think it turned out rather well.  Still waiting to hear back about the fabric for the curtains we want.  The kitchy beer mugs are only temporary.

So, without further rambling, here it is!

About those leftovers

I meant to post this a couple of days after the last post on short ribs, but it honestly just slipped my mind.

We had a ton of leftovers and this is what I ended up making.  Based it mostly on a recipe in Food and Wine from Thomas Keller:

Warm up short rib leftovers with a bit of the jus that you've reserved and load them on a roll with some cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, shaved radishes, and a drizzle of creamed horseradish.  Serve some truffled French fries on the side and you have one heck of a meal. 

Since I served this I've made more short ribs just for sandwiches with a couple of changes.  I used arugula and Trader Joe's Cheddar/Gruyere melange and put them in the panini press.  Served that version with root vegetable chips and it was divine.

Another short rib recipe

Bristol Farms had a deal on short ribs, and I felt like cooking.  Not the 50-pan, million-ingredient version either.  I had a bottle of New Belgian Brewing's Cocoa Mole on hand, and I thought what the heck...worst thing that can happen is I have to pitch the lot and order a pizza. 

The beer is spiced and has cocoa added, so I dialed back on the additions to garlic, salt, and pepper.  It was wonderful.  Not quite Chef Sean wonderful, but far better than most I've had out lately.  It also has to be one of the easiest recipes in the world.

I started with about 5 lbs of short ribs.  Trim the fat a bit if they need it, Bristol's never need it.  Let a bit of the chill come off the meat before searing.  Salt and pepper the meat, then put a bit of your favorite oil in a nice big dutch oven or other oven safe pot.  Sear the meat until nice and brown in batches, being sure to get all sides.  Once done, put all the meat in the pan, nice and snug and in as few layers as possible.  Throw in a few pealed garlic cloves (I used either 5 or 6, can't remember.)  Poor the beer over the lot, then refill the bottle with water and pour again.  Stick in a 300 over for 3 hours, then lower to 250 for another hour.  Cool, then refrigerate.  The next day, even better two days later, pull the pot out of the fridge and take off as much fat as possible.  Pull out the ribs, remove from the bone and trim as needed.  Warm the beautiful liquid and reduce by about half, then whisk in a couple of pats of butter while off the heat to thicken it a bit more.  Add the ribs, return to a simmer, and warm the meat.  Taste before serving.  Mine needed a bit more salt, so I went with my Espresso Brava salt, and it was a perfect match.  I served it this time with buttered noodles, but they are equally good with mashed potatoes or polenta.  Makes great leftovers too.

Italian Bao, or what to do when you have enough Bolognese sauce for one and need to feed two.

I wasn't going for fusion, but that's what I ended up with.  If you have leftover sauce that is heavy on the meat, this will work rather well.

You'll need:
One packet garlic herb pizza dough, or one batch of homemade if you feel adventurous
Mozzarella cheese, grated
Meat sauce
Ricotta cheese
One egg
Parmesan or Asiago

Amounts will vary depending on how many you want to make.

Pinch off golf-ball sized bits of dough, and flatten to about 1/8 inch thick.  Put a tablespoon of sauce in the middle, top with a bit of each cheese, bring up the sides and pinch.  Place on a cooking sheet lined with parchment.  Repeat until you're out of dough or sauce or both.  When done, brush each bun with egg and sprinkle with Parmesan or Asiago.  Bake per directions for the dough.  This is what they should look like when you put them in the oven:

Serve with a small salad, and you have dinner fast and pretty cheap too!

Crab cakes!

You know you want some.  Not my best effort to be sure, but if you have access to decent canned crab they make a great dinner!

Not the best photo, but it is what it is.


For the cakes:
1 lb lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and such
2 tsp Old Bay or similar
1/4 cup mayo
1/2 cup panko
Tops of 4 green onions
1 egg, beaten
Ground pepper
Mix the seasonings with the crab gently.  Fold in panko then mayo and the egg.  Form into balls the size of golf balls and refrigerate for about an hour.  Pan fry in a mix of a couple tablespoons olive oil and a couple tablespoons butter.


For the sauce:

One cup mayo
2 Tbsp Dijon or Mustard with seeds
Dash Worchestershire
Dash hot sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp capers, chopped
1 Green onion, minced
2-3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Mix well, refrigerate until ready to serve.

Wish I could remember where I got these recipes, but I've tweaked them a bit anyway.  Don't mix the crab too much!  These make a great simple dinner or a great appetizer too.

Product Review: Himalayan Salt Plate

This year for Christmas I received (among other food/cooking stuff) a Himalayan salt plate from SaltWorks.  (I'll wait while you go peruse the site.  You back?  Good.)  I've seen the device used on a couple of cooking shows and was fascinated, but never got around to getting one myself.

Boy, am I glad this arrived among my goodies.  Heated in the oven, it made for a dramatic table-side presentation on New Year's Eve when I cooked the fish course directly on the plate.  There is little salt transfer if you heat the plate properly, just enough to season the food.  While I would cut the original pieces a bit thinner so they cook more quickly, I can easily see using this for cooking over and over again.  You can also use it cold or room temperature as a presentation platter, and trust me when I say anything served on it is a conversation starter and just darned pretty.

Oh, this company also sells bath and spa salts along with their gourmet salt selection.  Perfect for DIY gifts and party favors!

Coming back to the page

It's been over a year.  Yikes!  In that time BabyTooth has become a full-fledged toddler, complete with toothy grins, massive hugs, and temper tantrums.

I've meant to keep up with this, but the whirlwind that was the last year plus swept me away.  Today, I begin anew.  I'm going to aim for once a week updates.  Maybe a new recipe, maybe a shout out for something I've found and love.  Hope everyone enjoys the new stuff!

Beer for BabyTooth...

Hi all.

Mrs. Tooth has been trying to get me to post for a while now, so I guess I'll give it a go. As you can see from the previous post, we're expecting a new addition to the family. BabyTooth should be arriving in July and we're trying to get as much done in advance as we can. To that end, I figured I'd think WAY in advance and make her a beer for when she's old enough to drink.

The picture below is said beer in fermenters. I ferment in 5 gallon kegs. The two kegs are each holding 2.5 gallons of fermenting beer with plenty of head space for the foaming kraussen that this big beer should produce. There was an extra 2/3 gallon left over that I poured into the gallon jug you see in the center. I pitched a packet of wine yeast in with it as a control to make sure the English Ale yeast in the full batch reaches it's terminal gravity. You can see why I needed the extra head space in the fermentation kegs given how the kraussen is overflowing the gallon jug.


The beer itself is an Imperial Oaked Bourbon Stout that should come in around 12-13% abv, after the infusion of Bourbon. The high alcohol level and tannins from the oak will hopefully help it last until BabyTooth is ready to drink it. I'll just "lose" the keg with an oak spiral in the back of the cellar for a decade. Then I'll start considering bottling options.

If this brewing stuff is interesting to you or if you have any questions, please add a comment to let me know. I'll try to post more often if people are interested.

Why I've been away from this for ages!

Hi all, sorry I've been the worst food blogger ever. I do have a fair number of partially completed posts, but nothing finished. This is due to my forced teetotaling the last few months, not feeling well enough to cook anything interesting, and spending way too much time on some message boards. So what caused all this change? Here she is:




She will hopefully arrive in late July. We're both beyond excited! So, now that I'm feeling a bit better, I swear I'm going to catch up. Looking things over, I realize that not only do I have some work to do here, I need to make some more braised short ribs this weekend!

Barolo is a lovely thing

I've been away for ages I know, but work has kept me swamped. Hopefully things have calmed down a bit so I can spend more time in the kitchen and more time sharing recipes!




Some time ago, TheTooth was given a rather lovely bottle of Barolo: a 1990 Castiglione Falletto from the castle vineyards. We never managed to find out much about the wine, but were able to visit the castle village last summer. The castle is still a private residence, so we didn't get to get too close, but the tower is in this image. The region was one of the highlights of our trip -- incredible scenery, no crowds, great hidden art and architecture, and by far the best food and wine in northern Italy. (I'll have to share the place we stayed at some point.)


Knowing that the wine was about to enter it's peak period, and that it had a few periods of uncertain storage, we decided to enjoy it a bit early just in case. What a wonderful decision. To keep the focus on the wine, I kept the menu simple: gnocchi in a pesto cream, and a pan-seared steak. I'm still working on the whole gnocchi idea. While I was fairly happy with the results, I still need to tweak the recipe a bit before sharing. So far I'm keeping the potatoes baked and using a mix of cake flour and all-purpose. When I tried before with boiled potatoes I ended up with a heavy mess.

As for the wine, it was absolutely all that we had hoped for and more. It was seductive in the glass, a deep brick red with a nose that had hints of dark fruits and just a bit of leather. The flavor was full and lingered, and while the tannins were mellow there was still enough structure to cut through the fat of the steak. Our only regret is that we don't have another bottle to enjoy further down the road.

Kitchinspirations September challenge -- Help!

The challenge this month is apple pie. I am an abject failure at pie crust. I have tried more times than I care to count. Since we are in the middle of the first month of school, I do not have the time to make multiple attempts at yet another pie crust. Fortunately I can take the idea and get creative with it. So, are there any suggestions out there? Biscuit pies? Something based on filo or puff pastry? Cobblers? Any recipes or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

The Foodie BlogRoll

You might notice a new element on the sidebar. We've been accepted into the Foodie BlogRoll! Click on over to it and check out some great food blogs. Find some new favorites and be inspired by the recipes!

Super-Easy Lamb Meatballs

I really enjoy Nigella Lawson's work. Yes, she takes shortcuts, and yes, I wish she would embrace fresh citrus instead of the horrid plastic squeeze things, but her cooking has it's roots in great flavor and streamlined technique. On one of her shows, she highlighted a recipe she called "Merguez with Halloumi and Flame Roasted Peppers". After making it and fiddling with it a bit, I've come up with my own version that is perfect for us. TheTooth can't handle really spicy stuff, so instead of the merguez, I make lamb meatballs. We found the halloumi too squeeky, so I switched to kaseri. Served with some flatbread, tzatziki, and hummus, it is a Mediterranean feast!

Quick Greek Lamb Meatballs

For Meatballs:
1 lb ground lamb
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp greek seasoning
1 egg

For the Dish:
1 block kaseri cheese
1 jar roasted peppers
1 recipe meatballs

1. Heat the oven to 425F.
2. Mix meatball ingredients well and form into golf-ball sized rounds. Place on an sheet pan that is lined with foil and lightly oiled. Place in the oven for 10 minutes.
3. Slice cheese into 1/4 inch slices, and tear peppers into bite-sized bits. After 10 minutes, surround the meatballs with the cheese and peppers. Pop it back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
4. Serve with flatbread and whatever else you have on hand.

For our hummus, I just take a can of cannelini beans drained, a big dollop of tahini, a garlic clove minced, and a couple of glugs of lemon olive oil. (I will tell you all about my love of Pasolivo soon.) Run this through the food processor and you're good to go.

Confit and Gueuze

I was in Crate and Barrel the other week, got to talking to one of the employees about the joy of Dutch ovens, and my mind turned to velvety duck. We're big fans of duck confit. Once upon a time, it seemed perfectly logical to fork out a bunch of cash for a couple of duck legs with whatever side dish came along with it. Here's the reality: those restaurants aren't charging for skill or anything, they're charging for the time and the mystique. In reality, confit was originally peasant food. Poach the bird (or other animal) in it's own fat, cool, then cover it in said fat and keep in the root cellar for months. Thankfully we now have refrigerators, packaged duck fat, and tons of olive oil roaming the supermarket aisles.

For Christmas last year, I received the divine The River Cottage Meat Book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstal. If you eat meat, you need this book. The appreciation for the flesh is incredible. Meat should be treated with respect, and Mr. Fearnley-Whittingstal really respects what he cooks. Inspired by his recipe for confit, and the post of Michael Ruhlman on the subject at his blog, I have developed my own version of this incredibly divine dish. And, I'm not above turning the oven to 300F for a few hours on a summer weekend to create heaven. My (and the Tooth's) heartfelt thanks to both gentlemen for the inspiration!

Duck Confit:

As many duck legs as you can fit in your dutch oven in a couple of layers at most
Kosher Salt (about 1/2 Tbsp per leg or so)
About 1 tsp thyme per leg
About 1/2 clove garlic minced per two legs
1 tsp dried orange peel (Penzey's has it!) for every two legs
4 or 5 grinds of pepper for every two legs
1 bay leaf for every two legs
A small container of duck fat and olive oil as needed

1. Combine all spices and cover duck generously.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours.
3. Wipe the vast majority of the spice mixture off the duck just before you go to cook it. You may rinse if you wish, but it won't be quite as flavorful. Be sure to dry it well if you rinse it.
4. Place legs in your Dutch oven and cover with the duck fat and olive oil. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat, then place covered in a moderate oven (300F) for about three hours, or until the meat has pulled far from the end of the legs and the legs themselves have sunk to the bottom.
5. Remove from oven and cool completely. Place duck in a container, cover with the fat/oil mixture until it is submerged, and refrigerate. It will keep a month or so if you can keep yourself away.
6. To serve, take out a couple of legs per person and wipe off as much fat as possible. Heat up a pan and cook the legs for 5-6 minutes a side, making sure to crisp up the skin. Serve with some potatoes or polenta or a simple salad. YUM.

The other night, I served this with fried polenta (fried in the duck fat), roasted asparagus, and a Belgian sour beer, Oude Gueuze from Hanssens Artisanaal. The acidity of the beer cut beautifully through the richness of the meat. The Tooth thought it was perfect. I think I still prefer wine with confit, but this would be a great second choice.

Stuff I Like: Penzey's and Honey Pacifica

Finding quality ingredients can sometimes be difficult, especially when those ingredients can be termed specialty ingredients. Some things are easy: I do my best to buy my meat from a butcher if at all possible. You might remember these guys (and gals): They stood behind a counter of meat which they have trimmed, ready to help you find the perfect cut or even cut something special for you. Butchering is an art form that cannot be replicated by plastic-wrapped Styrofoam folks! (Look, I occasionally fall prey to vacuum-sealed meat but I really try!) The meat tastes better, and you know you're not getting the weird bits that you really don't want when you can look someone in the eyes. On the other hand, finding things like spices, great honey, and such can be a real chore. Luckily, I've found places that specialize in both locally, and for those of you not in Southern California, one has many branches and one ships!

In the world of spices, may I suggest Penzey's? They have branches throughout much of the United States, and they also ship. If you're still buying your spices and dried herbs at the grocery store, stop. Seriously. Penzey's is fresher, their spices and herbs are of a higher quality, and to be perfectly honest, they're cheaper. I am more than willing to drive the 10 or so miles up a LA freeway just to get to their closest store. The smells when you walk in are the best perfume in the world. As much as I love fresh herbs, sometimes that's just not possible, and I will take the dried herbs from Penzey's over wilted, overpriced supposedly fresh herbs any day.


It's been a long time since stores carried nothing but clover and orange blossom honey. Still, it's hard to find good quality honey that hasn't had the nuances of flavor completely processed out of it. Luckily, there is Honey Pacifica to rescue us from bland honey. They use minimal processing on their honey, and it shows on the palate. They carry a wide variety of sizes, and even some great infused honey. PB and mango infused honey sandwich anyone? Yum. They ship, but if you happen to live near Lakewood CA you can stop on in and pick up what you need. Just be sure to call first as they're not a shiny storefront operation. I'm not complaining as a shiny fancy store means higher prices.

Lamb Chops!

I completely forgot to take a picture so you'll just have to use your imagination.

I've recently decided I will never again purchase lamb rib chops. Why pay to have someone cut a rack of lamb into nice little lamb popsicles? I can't for the life of me remember which magazine recently had an article on cutting your own, but it stuck in the back of my mind for a while. I happened to find a good deal on lamb, so I brought a rack home, trimmed the fat and bits of silverskin, and carved it into nice chops. Amazingly enough, I even managed to get them fairly even. Here's what I did:

Marinade for lamb chops:

1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp Herbes de Provence
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup red wine

Mix this in your favorite marinading vessel. I prefer plastic bags, but to each their own. Stick back in the fridge for a few hours. This marinade also works for lamb shoulder (make more of the marinade so it will cover the shoulder) or a full rack if you plan on roasting. For roasting, decrease the red wine a bit so it's more like a rub. Take the lamb out of the refrigerator a good 10 minutes or so before cooking so it won't be ice cold when you throw it on the grill or in the oven. Seeing as it was super late and I didn't feel like setting up the BBQ I grilled these on my grill pan for 2 minutes a side then let them rest. I also poured the marinade into a sauce pan when I pulled the chops out of the fridge, added another half cup of wine, and boiled it for a good 25 minutes. Served with some steamed baby broccoli and Parmesan risotto, it was a lovely meal.

Wine pairing: Petite Sirah is always awesome with lamb. There's something about this pairing that brings out the best in both the lamb and the wine. We had the San Marcos Creek 2004 Estate Petite Sirah. It was a rather lovely example of this varietal. Dark berries on the nose, with currant, berry, and a hint of chocolate in the finish. Yum.

Wine review: Mastery Napa Valley Red Wine 2005

This is a very small production blend from Napa Valley made up of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Kevin Vogt, the main face of this wine, is a Master Sommelier, and it shows in his wine blending. (He's also a really great all-around guy, but I digress.) We had the opportunity to have this wine the other night along with a pork Wellington I made. I had heard whispers that this vintage scored incredibly well, amazingly high for a first release. I didn't know what to expect, and I was happily rewarded with the first sip.
A perfect deep purplish red in the glass, with a mildly spicy, dark fruit jam in the nose. This was one rich wine with a very plush feel and a beautifully layered blending of flavors: dried cherries leading to a bit of spice then a bit of earthiness. It reminded me of putting on a favorite cashmere sweater for the first time in winter. Overall, rather yummy. Unfortunately, the price point puts this wine out of the reach of many at $95 a bottle. Then again, the production is tiny, just over 350 cases overall. Would I buy it? Potentially, depending on the wine budget for the year. Would I be happy to enjoy it again? Absolutely!

Kitchinspirations August Challenge: A la Julia

A couple of weeks ago, OakMonster from Hmm...Food...Good talked me into joining Kitchinspirations, a monthly cooking challenge blog. I figured it would be a good way to expand my cooking horizons even further from time to time. This month, the challenge is as follows:

And so this month ~ I challenge you to get to know Julia Child. Let her influence your cooking. Let her teach you something. Cook with Julia. If possible, or - if you haven't already, get your hands on a copy of Volume 1. Pick a recipe that inspires you - something you've always wanted to learn, to improve, or try for the first time. If you don't have a copy and don't want to buy just yet, ask around! As popular as this book has been, chances are it is in the collection of one of your friends or family members. Check the library, or (in Oregon) borrow from me.

Sounds like fun, right? I grew up watching her shows on PBS as a kid and have many fond memories of her descriptions of everything as "simple". Of course, to a little kid, nothing she made seemed simple at the time. I made my way to the kitchen, opened the bookcase to grab my copy of whatever Julia Child cookbook I had (I must have picked one up at an estate or rummage sale, right?) only to discover No Julia in the Collection. I checked a few times not believing the omission myself. Then, off to the bookstore I went. I picked up a copy of the classic Volume 1, and sat down with what I found to be a darned good read. Of course, I love butter, cream, and mushrooms, so how could I not love the book? Choosing what to make was the hard part. Eventually, I settled on the souffle au chocolat, or chocolate souffle.

It has been ages since I've played with folding whipped egg whites into anything, so I cheated and experimented first. On Friday we had some friends over for dinner and I made a recipe I found on Food and Wine for a Chocolate Souffle Sundae. It turned out pretty well, so I figured what the heck and decided to make the souffle for dessert after the parents brought over a ton of seafood for a boil dinner last night.

One warning to those who cook off the cuff and don't read a recipe in full before beginning: don't even attempt to do so with Miss Julia. She will find a way to make you miserable if you do. Fortunately, I did read the recipe through a few times before starting. I also decided to heck with a couple of her instructions and cheated with an easier route. I'm posting my version here. If you want the full real version, go get the book silly! You can find used copies for cheap.


Chocolate Souffle (based very heavily on Julia Child's Souffle au Chocolat on page 619 of Mastering the Art of French Cooking)

The Ingredients:
7oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup leftover coffee
1/2 Tbsp softened butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
3 Tbsp butter
4 eggs separated and 2 additional egg whites
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar

Special equipment: an 8in souffle dish

Oven preheat: 400F

1. Heat up your coffee to simmering. Stir in the chocolate and set aside to fully melt and cool.
2. Butter the souffle dish, place a buttered foil collar around it that comes up at least 3" above the top, and set it aside.
3. Put the flour in a saucepan, and slowly whisk in the milk. Add the butter and bring to a boil slowly. Boil for two minutes, stirring constantly, then take off the heat and continue to stir for another couple of minutes.
4. Beat the egg yolks just enough to break them up a bit, then temper them with a bit of the white sauce. Once fully tempered, add the egg yolks to the sauce a bit at a time. When fully incorporated, stir in the chocolate mixture, then the vanilla.
5. Whip the egg whites and salt in another bowl until they form soft peaks. Slowly begin to add the sugar and continue to whip until stiff shiny peaks are formed. Pretty much make it look like meringue.
6. Pour the chocolate mixture down the side of the mixing bowl, and fold it into the egg whites. When you no longer see streaks of white, pour the mixture into your souffle dish.
7. Place the souffle in the prepared oven, then turn it down to 375F. Bake 40 minutes for a softly set souffle, 45 for a firm set souffle.
8. Carefully remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before removing the collar. Remove the collar, and serve immediately with either whipped cream, custard cream, or vanilla ice cream.

My deviations include the chocolate melting method, tempering the eggs rather than hoping I could mix them into the sauce one by one without scrambling, and I skipped the powdered sugar topping for the last few minutes of baking. OK, I forgot the powdered sugar. It still turned out, OK? The family loved it, and wouldn't have missed the part that fell off when I removed the collar if I hadn't mentioned it.

Will I make this again? Absolutely. It was pretty, and it tasted great. Will I bother with the creme anglaise? Nope. Whipped cream will be just fine. And if some spills on the counter again, I'm calling it the cook's share and eating it when no one is looking.

Oh, and the best part? It really was as simple to make as Julia made everything on her show seem.