Souffle.

Brown butter.

Three words which by their mere mention can create fear in the most fearless of cooks.   

Souffles are so finnicky.  If you look at them funny, they fall.  Kind of like Goldilocks, you never know if they are just right until you taste them.  They are sometimes runny and sometimes overcooked.   If you accidentally hit the oven door with your knee, uh oh.  And never mind trying to remove them from the oven and get them to the table.  Egads.  They just aren’t worth the effort.

OH DEAR.  They so are.   And if you follow a few simple steps, they shouldn’t cause one sweat gland to begin working overtime.  (Stay tuned for tomorrow’s tips and tricks for fearless souffle making.)

And let’s not forget the brown butter.   The key to brown butter is to not have the flames turned up so they are flicking out over the sides of the saucepan.  Melt the butter over medium heat and let it work its magic.  It will turn brown and nutty and oh so yummy. 

Did I mention that it transforms this souffle from good to magical.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

CAULIFLOWER SOUFFLE WITH BROWN BUTTER  Gourmet Magazine May 2008

3 tbsp finely grated parmigiano reggiano

1 1/4 cups finely chopped cauliflower florets

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

white pepper to taste

1/2 stick butter

4 1/2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk

6 egg yolks

8 egg whites

1 stick butter (for browned butter)

Preheat oven to 400 with rack in the middle.  Generously butter souffle dish, then sprinkle with cheese, knocking out excess.

Stir together cauliflower, parsley, 1/4 tsp salt and white pepper in large bowl.

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in flour and cook, whisking, until pale golden, about 2 minutes.  Add milk a little at a time, whisking constantly until smooth.  Bring sauce to a boil, whisking, then simmer until thick, about 1 minute.  Remove from heat and whisk in the egg yolks, 1/4 tsp white pepper and 1/2 tsp salt.  Stir into the cauliflower mixture.

Beat whites in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until they just hold stiff peaks (they should not look dry).  Stir a heaping spoonful of whites into yolk mixture to lighten the mixture and then gently fold in the remaining whites until just combined.

Spoon into souffle dish and bake until golden brown about 35 to 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it turns golden with a nutlike fragrance and fleck on bottom pan turn a rich brown, about 6 mintues.  Remove from heat.

Serve souffle immediately, drizzling with warm brown butter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post submitted to Gourmet Unbound and Magazine Mondays.  Thanks ladies!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER:  Do not let my inability to use a camera keep you from trying this dish!

I love to counterbalance the heaviness of homemade ravioli with the lightness of a broth.  There are endless combinations of fillings for pasta and once you get the hang of pasta dough, you will never buy the premade frozen stuff again.  We did a class a couple of weeks ago and made ricotta and basil ravioli, black bean ravioli and fig and gorgonzola ravioli.  We also made three different sauces.  All in about 3 hours! 

Won ton wrappers work equally well for a quick fix weeknight meal although they do not reheat well.   This is a quick meal utilizing fresh ingredients and since asparagus are in season it is a great choice as well as a perfect marriage with the mascarpone and it is all the better for you as it isn’t laden with a big heavy sauce. 

ASPARAGUS RAVIOLI IN PARMESAN BROTH from Gourmet Magazine, April 2008

30 wonton wrappers 

1 pound asparagus, trimmed

5 cups chicken broth

3 inch rind from a wedge of parmesan cheese

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup mascarpone

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 tsp grated lemon zest

Put broth/stock into a pot.  (If I have homemade broth, I use it.  If I don’t, I use store bought and toss in a peeled, lightly crushed clove of garlic and a few sprigs of a fresh herb and let it simmer for about 15 minutes).  Add rind, bay leaf and asparagus stems and simmer until stems are tender, about 5 minutes.  Transfer stems to paper towels to cool slightly.  Reserve broth.

Puree asparagus stems in food processor with grated parmesan, mascarpone, bread crumbs, zest and salt and pepper to taste.

Fill wonton wrappers with filling and seal edges.    

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and begin to cook ravioli.

Meanwhile, add the asparagus tips to the reserved broth and cook until tender, about 3 minutes.  

As ravioli cook, add to the broth.  Serve immediately.

Linked to Magazine Mondays and Gourmet Unbound. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you ever just go on an ingredient kick and use it over and over again until you wonder what you were thinking and then can barely stand to use it again for ages?   

Hello mascarpone.   I used it in the Daring Baker’s challenge for tiramisu and then taught a baking class where we made…. tiramisu!  I bought way more than I needed at the restaurant supply house so I had a dearth of mascarpone on the top shelf of the refrigerator and every time I opened the door I quietly yet incessantly heard “Use me.  I am expensive.  Soon I will get shoved to the deep recesses lonely and forgotten”.  Really.  It said just that to me each and every time I opened the door.   Morning coffee cream.  Lunch every day.  Class three times a week.  I open that door a lot! 

Next up.  Mascarpone and fig ravioli.  Yum.  I’ll post about that some day.    But still that voice.   So off to the internet I went to search for something new.  And viola.  Lime Mascarpone Panna Cotta With Raspberries called to me.  I had a handful of raspberries from another class and always have a lime in the crisper so panna cotta here we come.

This panna cotta is a bit thicker than I am used to which makes sense given that there is mascarpone added to the typical, cream/milk, sugar and gelatin.   But the unmistakable creaminess of the cheese shines through.  You can feel its smoothness and you can taste its richness.  Coupled with the lime and the raspberries, and this is one sensational dessert.  One that is easy enough to whip up for family and impressive enough to serve for a special occasion.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIME MASCARPONE PANNA COTTA WITH RASPBERRIES from Bon Appetit, July 2006

6 tbsp fresh lime juice, divided

1 1/2 tsp. grated lime zest

1 tsp unflavored gelatin

1 1/4 cups whipping cream, divided

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

3/4 cup sugar, divided

1 tbsp butter

6 ounces raspberries

1 lime

Combine 1/4 cup juice and zest in small saucepan.  Sprinkle gelatin over and let stand for five minutes.  Add 1/4 cup cream to gelatin mixture and stir over low heat until gelatin dissolved.  Remove from heat.

Whisk mascarpone and 1/2 cup sugar in bowl and gradually whisk in 1 cup remaining cream until smooth.  Whisk gelatin into cream mixture.  Pour into six serving glasses/dishes.  Chill until set, about 4 hours.

Stir remaining 2 tbsp lime juice, 1/4 cup sugar and butter in skillet over medium heat until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes.  Cool 2 minutes.  Fold in berries and toss until coated.  Spoon over panna cotta.  Grate zest from lime over the desserts.

Submitted to Magazine Mondays at Cream Puffs in Venice.

We love, love, love blue cheese at our house.  It was a love I didn’t fully accept for many years.  As a matter of fact, it was I love I resisted.  I insisted I could survive without the stinky cheese and preferred to leave it to others.   But gradually this stinky cheese ingratiated itself into my life.  Like a bad penny, it kept showing up.  Until, finally, one day, I realized it made it to the list of my favorite things:  worn and soft LSU sweatshirt, coffee mug with Taylor’s mug on it, fuzzy purple houseshoes which resemble Gonzo on a bad hair day, my blue fine line pens and the most adorable cocker spaniel ever.   Stinky blue cheese.  I add it to mashed potatoes, dips, salads, gratins,  bread.  And after I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit, I added it to herbed balsamic chicken breasts.  

The dousing in the balsamic makes the chicken breast so moist and flavorful.  The herbes de provence (an herb mixture which differs by the maker but which usually contains some combination of savory, fennel, basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, sage and/or lavender) provides that “what is that unusual flavor” kind of pause after a bite or two.  And, of course, the blue cheese which melts over the cooked chicken breast.  It is a magical combination.  I think it will make your list of favorite things as well. 

HERBED BALSAMIC CHICKEN WITH BLUE CHEESE adapted from Bon Appetit June 2009

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp salt

2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp herbes de provence

4 ounces blue cheese

Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag.  Add vinegar, oil, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper.  Seal and refrigerate for at least two hours.  Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saute pan.  Remove chicken from marinade and add to hot pan.  Sprinkle breasts with 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp herbes de provence.  Cook until chicken is cooked through, about six minutes per side.  Transfer to plates and top each with blue cheese. 

Linked to Magazine Mondays at Cream Puffs in Venice.    Thanks Ivonne!